To Control Thoughts and Wills
by CryoTemporal
Summary: "Thousands of years ago, the Neurax Worm could control other creatures, but they were unable to spread until now, when I found this one. Not even I know the limits of the Neurax's power. It will keep evolving, until they can reclaim the earth that's rightfully theirs." The strange man said, predicting the end...
1. Day 0

Thousands of years ago. The world was inhabited by humans, just as we see right now. However, it was much different.

Evolved apes that were skinless and unable to survive in the cold, just as they discovered fire they were able to keep themselves warm. By then they needn't fur like other animals, they needn't claws to hunt, they needn't a great sense of smell to know where their prey was. All these factors helped them to gain a powerful mind, just to replace all the things they wouldn't need anymore.

Thus, with their creativity, they created. From houses, buildings, weapons, everything nature couldn't give them, or better said, they didn't want. Human's mind was a fearsome power, and they kept expanding onto the lands, modifying Earth just as he wanted.

But then, it didn't mean that humans were the only living creatures on Earth. From dogs to sharks to eagles to spiders, and among all of them, were the bacteria. Bacteria that, in order to survive, have to infect other creatures. This is what we call a disease.

However, no one ever knew of a disease that could control the human's mind, their thoughts, and their wills. Such a thing could not exist in nature, for every creature has its own brain and own mind, they take control of their actions.

But, just as thousands of years ago the humans were struggling with the cold harsh ice ages, were also the microscopic organisms. Most of them thawed after the cold ended, and most of those died and extinguished. However, who knows if there aren't any more frozen out there.

Out of nowhere, a young microbiologist, he might be, was inspecting the most frozen lands in the world. The team was experimenting, seeing how well microorganisms would survive in extreme temperatures, and they kept travelling all around the world.

The young man, who would be somewhere around his late twenty two years, decided to take a patch of ice or snow with him whenever he went. He said that he wanted to keep them and study how different were the snowflakes in different countries. His teammates were confused at first, but they knew that this man was, though brilliant, not very rational, and so they didn't pay much attention to it.

In one of their travels to Greenland, he saw on a glacier a patch of yellow. Not very noticeable at first glance, but since he was cutting some ice to take home he was able to look at it perfectly. It wasn't too big, but not extremely small either. So far it looked like a yellow worm, without too many features.

He was rather curious, but his team had so much work to do that he couldn't inspect it right away. Instead, he decided that he would take it home with him; after all, his teammates didn't care.

* * *

In a lone apartment he lived, away from most people. The place was calm, silent; perfect to read and study. His curiosity was big, for the first thing he examined was the frozen creature he found on the glacier.

He left it under the sunlight to thaw it, because doing otherwise could hurt the worm, and make him unable to examine it. He kept looking at it for hours, without even caring about food or sleep or exhaustion. He just wanted to know what kind of living being this was, since something frozen to him meant something ancient, a whole new discovery.

Hours went on, and a little part of the worm's head was thawed out. After more time, its whole head was thawed, but it wasn't moving.

So night came, and the ice was halfway there from being completely unfrozen. But there was no heat left, and using fire was too risky. He had hopes the creature might be alive, just as some creatures survive frozen solid. At the end he gave up, as he realized he had no ways to thaw the worm without harming it. He decided to wait for the next day and, as he woke up, he found it lying there, on his window, without making a single movement. It looked dead indeed.

He wouldn't give up anyway, for he had to know what kind of creature this one was. Was it from the ancient times, before man reached land, or was it an uninteresting recent worm that everyone knew of?

He began examining it with microscopes, mostly; taking out small parts of its tissue and examining it himself, since he didn't want anyone's help with his discovery. After all, those people had rejected him. Those people had fired him from his only job, abandoned him into nothing. This discovery would be his alone, and he would be recognized and respected by the world, by even the authorities.

While investigation obviously took some very long months, he was intelligent enough to overcome it. He kept the creature barely frozen inside his fridge, so bacteria and insects wouldn't ruin it. Then at an early hour he would leave it a few hours in the sunlight, and after that he would begin to work on it again.

There was a certain breaking point in his investigation. He was just staring at it, trying to remember whether this worm was some creature he already knew of or not. And then, he noticed, just barely, a slight movement of its head. While some people might believe it was their imagination, he kept telling himself that it wasn't, that the creature actually moved its head slightly to the right, that the creature was alive and it was not the wind or anything. So at the time, he tried stimulating it, so it would move again. It took him at least fifty attempts, for he already decided that he wouldn't give up.

_Respect. Recognition._

At the last, he poked the creature from behind with a stick. With his frustration, he left a few marks on the creature, and even if he tried not to harm it, his anger made him injure the creature badly, to which it responded by instinct, trying to flee. At last, he thought, seeing the slow movements of the worm. Now, he would be able to study it as a life being.

* * *

Months went on. The creature had grown a little, but looked even less than a regular worm. On his studies, the young man managed to understand a little what this creature was. He bought a rat to make experiments, and he determined that this worm was harmless, but it fed on other creature's organisms. As soon as the rat died of old age, he opened it to see where exactly the worm was. His surprise began when he found it, small, still feeding on the rat's brain.

"So, little guy… you attack the most vital part of a living being…"

The worm on the rat's brain was one of the original worm's copies, or to understand it better, its _offspring_. He kept trying, with dying animals, infecting them with the worm. All with the same result: they didn't have any symptoms, but the worm was always feeding of their brains.

For a few days, he didn't want to do anything more but think. Think, about his discovery, the worm, the animals. His life, his job, his family. Everything that left him behind, everyone who laughed at him, everywhere he was not accepted. Everything the world's been through, everything the world survived. Everything humanity created, everything humanity destroyed; human's cruelty against other species, their cruelty against their own species, the sadness of living in this world.

A scream was heard. He was startled at the sound of his own raging voice, but it made him free. His thoughts were consuming him, and now he knew how wrong the world was. In his short life he never even saw real justice, but now Mother Nature has given him something.

Humanity has survived for too long causing pain. Now it's their time to pay.

He gave a quick glance to the Neurax Worm—as he called it—and remembered all the artifacts he had from his previous and only job. He was able to manipulate it. He could control it. He could make them fear the Neurax Worm, make it dangerous, make it lethal, make it kill; make it control human's mind.

_Respect. Recognition. **Fear.**_

He already had a way to control its evolution, but the Neurax couldn't be discovered just yet. Not with all the technology out there, threatening to kill it after it infected its first human. No, he needed something less noticeable. The rats and the other animals he tested didn't have any symptoms; they all died of old age or another disease. It was perfect to make it infect the world, before they can even know they've been infected.

That's all he had to do. No more cruelty on the world; the future was filled with sorrow. But now it can be like the first times, when the humans weren't fully evolved, when they weren't evolved at all. When they didn't need to kill each other, harm each other, and laugh at each other. A utopia, in which he would feel no pain anymore.

_ A Neurax Worm, undiscovered for thousands of years. Humans have entered its natural habitat, and given it the means to spread..._

** How long until the humans face extinction?**

* * *

**Author's notes: **One of the few Plague Inc fanfics. I was inspired by the Neurax Worm's theme from Plague Inc.: Evolved. I'm planing to continue this until the end, and I hope you enjoy reading it as well.

(And sorry for the slow chapter, I can't make a story without telling the beginning, after all, can I?)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Somewhere in the future I'll delete some uninteresting AN's.


	2. It cannot reply

**Phew! I meant to update sooner, but it seems that you can't update from a mobile, not even with the desktop option. But here it is!**

**Don't you love fillers?**

* * *

A young woman was at the airport, waiting for one of her friends to arrive. She was from the UK, and lived in a fancy house with her parents. Her friend was from the USA, but for a few days she decided to work in the UK and live with them, for some reason.

The place was crowded, and everyone looked busy, but at the same time it looked elegant and clean.

"There you are!" said the girl that just arrived, screaming cheerfully. She was a little taller than the other. "I thought you got lost on a plane or something. Where were you?"

"That's what _I_ should be asking _you_! I've been looking everywhere, but it was getting late so I decided to wait here."

"Oooh, but maybe you were with a... boy?!" She smirked mockingly, nudging her friend.

"Of course not!" She giggled. "After all, looking for my grandparents isn't exactly what you would call _looking for a boyfriend_."

They both laughed, and then they walked away chatting to each other and laughing so loudly it was hard to believe nobody yelled at them.

However, a single figure was looking at them, suspiciously. He was a tall man with a grey hood, and he was just standing there in silence. When the girls almost got out of his view, he walked to them and stopped them, taking out his hood quickly. He wondered why he was using it in the first place.

"Hey you, young ladies," he said. "I want to ask you something."

"Uhm, us?" one of them said, turning around. The other followed. "Yeah, what do you need?"

"I need you to taste this." He took out a small bottle out of his pocket. "It's, uhm, it should be a delicious beverage, but I need someone to tell me how it tastes first."

The girls looked at each other, suspiciously. The taller one turned her face to the man and nodded.

"Sure, why not! If it's to help a new beverage, I can do it. Then we can go out and ask for more things instead of just tea, right?" She looked at her friend, who was just staring at them confused.

The man handed her the bottle, to which the girl began gulping. After a while, she stopped.

"Huh?" she exclaimed, raising the bottle to her eyes. "But, mister, I think this is just water."

"It is?" the man said, looking confused. "But I was sure I put a lot of juice this time. Oh, I guess it didn't work. Sorry, we'll fix it next time."

The young girl looked confused.

"Didn't you taste it before?" she asked with a look of unhidden curiosity. Her friend was almost feeling suspicion right now.

"No," he replied quickly. "We can't taste the product; our prejudice would get in the way. Most of the employees think that the beverage is fine and could easily get in the market, but we need people's opinions first," the man said as he's been expecting that question. The girl seemed satisfied with the reply, though her friend was still doubtful. She asked once more:

"Are you sure this isn't just water and that there isn't anything strange about it?"

"You can trust me," he reassured her. "It might take its time before we can fully create a delicious beverage, but in a few years we'll get there, I'm sure of it." The girl wasn't so sure, but she didn't ask any more questions. "If that's all, allow me to leave. Thank you so much for your cooperation, I'm very grateful."

They both replied with a _you're welcome_, one cheerful, one quiet, and left the scene before the man could turn away.

Let's stop hiding their names for a second; after all, they're already part of the story. The taller girl's name, the one who tasted the water-like beverage, was Caroline. She's really cheerful and easygoing, and has no trouble talking to strangers, something easily deduced by her behavior. Her unnatural ginger hair and informal clothes made huge contrast with the other girl.

Her friend's name was Sharon, and while she was almost as easygoing as Caroline, she knew well not to trust in strangers, especially when they give you something to taste. She was being more formal with her clothes, in contrast to Caroline's colorful image. Caroline asked her when they met at the airport why was she being so formal, if she was just going to meet her grandparents.

"I'm sure they'll do the same." That was her answer.

Finally they caught sight of Sharon's grandparents. Just as she predicted, her grandfather was wearing a tuxedo, black pants and a tie. Her grandmother was wearing an elegant long dress. They looked like they were in a wedding or something.

"They just like being like that" Sharon shrugged. "You know, they are pretty old-school."

At the same time, someone was watching into the distance. It was the man who gave Caroline the water.

"These old people won't do..." he mumbled to himself. "I need younger people, or you can't feed... can you, Neurax?" He glanced at them with a look of hatred. "Bragging about themselves... and thinking they're better than everyone else. Those three are just like everyone else actually, luckily enough they were able to have something to brag about."

* * *

Back at his apartment, he sat down in front of his computer, or what looked like twelve computers, as he had various monitors connected.

Each one of them had a black screen, only the first one showed images of the airport he just was in. Many people greeting each other, hugging each other and smiling at the sight of someone else. Looking at them like that, humans didn't look as bad as he thought; however, he knew that on the inside everyone is potentially cruel.

"I might need a name to show myself to them sooner or later," he spoke to the worm he kept inside a transparent cylinder, with a lot of cables connected from various spots of the worm's body to his computers. It was just as he wanted to control it through that.

And in fact, that's what he did. He discovered a way to control the worm by modifying its DNA, its organs and its skin. That way, he could make it withstand the harshest weathers of the countries it wasn't used to.

Now, to control its offspring wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. When he began testing the Alpha Neurax Worm (that's how he decided to call it), he noticed that every evolution had an effect on the other worms.

"We're lucky, aren't we...?"

The worm didn't reply. It can't reply.

"So what do you think would be a good name for when I announce you to the world?" The worm didn't reply. "I was thinking about using your name. After all, I found you, I'm creating you." He stared at the unmoving worm for a few seconds. "You're right," he said at last, as if he heard the worm replying, "that would be confusing as hell. What if I call myself Rax? Uhm... no, that sounds bad."

He sighed, then stood up and looked through the window. The sunlight almost blinded him, mostly because he tended to have the whole apartment away from the heat. The Neurax was found inside a glacier, so it would be reasonable to think that it feels better in cold places. Or at least that's what the man thought.

"Are you going to infect everyone? I mean, every person, in every country?" He glanced back at the worm. It didn't reply. "Ah, I see... though infecting them was my idea in the first place." He returned his gaze to the window, and blinked a few times to get used to the warm light of the sun. At the end, he realized that it was too annoying. He closed the curtains, and stared at them just as he was looking at the outside world. "We need you to evolve fast, so you can survive in hotter places." He turned his head to the worm, a look of hatred and disappointment on his face. "You're completely useless right now. Look at us, humans, living, surviving in every kind of climate. And you. You die with a single rise of temperature. What would you be without me?" He didn't wait for a reply. Who was there to reply in the first place? "Frozen. Still on that glacier, without any means to live. You would just cowardly be there, waiting for someone like me to bring you home, isn't that right?"

The worm didn't reply, but one would wonder if it actually wanted to.

The man calmed down. He was about to poke at the worm, just as he did days ago when he wanted it to move. Now he only wanted the Neurax to feel pain. However, when he realized that that would damage the Alpha and make it unable to evolve properly, he held back his anger and continued looking at the curtains for a few hours, in complete silence.

* * *

"So, young Caroline, do you miss your life back in the USA?" the old woman asked, after swallowing a mouthful. They were having dinner back at Sharon's house, along with her parents and siblings, her grandparents and her friend, Caroline. With that many people, it's easy to imagine how wealthy they were, if they could support them daily.

"Not so much right now," she admitted, "for some reason, there are a lot of rats. They're like a plague, almost every home has rat poison to keep them away, and rat extermination is being serious business," she explained, a little unsure whether she should have mentioned that while they were eating.

"Ah, I understand," interrupted Sharon's grandfather. "I remember that time when we were plagued with pigeons. I never thought we would need to get rid of them, but they were bringing some ugly diseases at the time."

"Ugly diseases?" Sharon echoed, suddenly looking interested. "But was everyone alright?"

"Yes," he replied, "although it was quite annoying for some people. The good news is that the disease wasn't too lethal, so nobody had to die at that time."

A sigh of relief left Sharon's mouth, and she focused her attention to the meal in front of her.

"I'm sure everyone in your country is alright," he said to Caroline.

"I know, but the rats are appearing in everyone's houses out of nowhere. People with small children are getting worried."

"I understand that, dear," the grandmother said. "But don't worry, they'll leave before next month."

"You're right." Caroline returned to her usual cheerfulness. "And maybe I could return to my country after I quit my job here. They aren't doing so well it seems, and my salary is gradually decreasing."

"Well said. Though we'll miss you, but I hope you can get the best job you can get."

* * *

"Neuren, I shall be Neuren for now." After hours of complete silence, the man jumped suddenly, and looked at the Neurax. "It won't be confusing, will it? I think." The man kept talking to the worm, completely sure that it was listening to him. "Now let's see if there's something I should know." Neuren got to his computers, and he opened a browser that showed itself on one of the monitors. He was looking for the news of the day.

The first headline was something about USA.

**Never-ending rat plague!**  
_Specialists have concluded that the rats spreading are not a threat at the moment. However, they'll keep investigating this matter further._  
_As for the authorities, they declared that each family should deal with the issue at home. Rats will be kept alive for scientific experimentation, some will be given to other countries that might need them for research purposes. Hopefully, this will decrease the rat population and keep away all the diseases they might bring._

Rats, huh... while it could be better to help Neurax spread, at the same time it would make the cure easier to find, if they ever research it. And after all, the worm hasn't infected anyone from America yet.

"We'll need a while, but you have to infect more people." He could look at the number of people alive in his monitors. The numbers changed every second, increasing and decreasing due to people dying and being born. In another corner, he could see the number of people infected. So far, it was just one.

Next to that counter was another number, the number two._ What does this mean? _he thought, staring at it. The letters DNA were written above the number, and while it should provide an answer, it only raised more questions.

In reality, the software he had in front of him had been created by an anonymous person. _Pr__obably a scientist,_ was his first thought. It wasn't created to control the Neurax. In fact it seemed to have been created to control other kinds of pathogens, viruses, bacteria. Maybe it was created as a cure for an incurable disease. But ironically right now it would be used to create the ultimate incurable one.

The point is that Neuren only modified an already created software with the little knowledge he achieved over the years. He then had an easier way to control the disease's symptoms, and the survivability of the Neurax. But for now, he only needed to see how would it spread. And it would take time before the worm infected its second host. "But how will you do that, anyway? Through air, through physical contact, through blood contact? There's no way for you to spread unless they're careless enough to drink from the same glass of water."

It could be easy for the worm to spread, it just needed a little carelessness from its hosts.

Sharon and Caroline where really close friends. However, Sharon was careful enough with her body, so she barely gets any diseases that are worse than a common cold. She never shares utensils, and when she does, she cleans them thoroughly. Some might say that she was a maniac, and that wouldn't be too farfetched.

Neuren couldn't have known that, as he randomly chose people in the airport that could infect someone else. His first option was a couple of young people, but they refused his offer for the water. They probably were right to do so, after all... wasn't that just simple water, infected with thousands, probably millions of the Neurax's offspring?  
Caroline was careless. Because, right now, she is the first person to be infected with the future deadly illness that the Neurax would bring. And while it'll take time, it won't be long until it infects its second host.

Neuren stared back at his computer. He wanted the Neurax to evolve right now; however, it seemed that it was unable to at the moment. Probably, it had something to do with the DNA counter. In order to infect more people in that country, it should evolve a drug resistance. Because medicine evolved with new diseases, and the Neurax lived for more than a thousand years. New drugs would make its survival harder, and it wouldn't be so easy to spread in wealthier countries.

"You're useless..." Neuren whispered to the worm. Once again, it didn't reply...


	3. You are useless

**Merry Christmas everyone! I guess I should update again before new year to celebrate (by that I mean the 4th chapter). Anyway, I hope you're having a good time and get a lot of presents! Here's mine for those who enjoy the story.**

**By the way, yes, I am using the game's descriptions and the amount of DNA points needed. I might make a few changes later, not sure yet.**

* * *

Just as Neuren wished, the number of infections was slowly increasing in the UK. The way it happened was unknown to him, but he didn't care as long as it worked. Three days later the number of infections was somewhere around four, and it was increasing a little each hour. It was a few moments later when he realized that the DNA counter was increasing with the amount of people infected.

It wasn't until the next weeks, when the infections reached almost thirty people, that he noticed that he would get less DNA when a certain amount was reached. Instead of getting one point per person, he would get one per five or ten people.

"I guess getting a billion would be too much, so this system was created this way...?"

For now, the worm would need more infectivity to evolve properly. If it didn't infect everyone yet, it would make no sense to kill people right now.

"So... how would you like to spread?" he asked the Neurax. Its reply was only heard inside his mind. "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be easier to infect a little more people first?" A few moments of silence followed, until he spoke again. "You're right. We won't get anywhere with all those pills and drugs out there. But you need more DNA first," he added looking at the monitors. "What about this? _'Concertina Locomotion'_... what does it mean? _'Faster movement outside host'_?" He looked at the Neurax, who was completely unmoving. "It says it increases infectivity, and it's only two DNA... I suppose there's nothing bad that could happen if I try."

Concertina Locomotion, ability to grip with portions of the body while pulling/pushing other sections allows faster movement outside host. That was Neurax's first step to becoming an infectious disease. An easy way to get to someone else's brain, without the need of them sharing glasses of water or anything.

"One problem out of the way, it seems..." Neuren sighed, relaxing his shoulders. "I just hope... that you don't get randomly detected by some doctor," he added turning his head to face the worm. While it was a step, he knew it wasn't enough yet.

* * *

At one point in her life, after long months living with her friend, Caroline had decided to return to her country. One of her reasons was that she was about to get fired from her job.

"But why are you going?" Sharon's brother asked, just after she announced her decision. The family used to have the most important conversations at dinner, and for someone unrelated, she really did follow their habits. "I mean, the rats are still there, aren't they?" He had been watching the news and probably chatting online with people from the USA. As far as he knew, they all complained about the same thing: the rat plague.

"It has stopped a little," she casually replied, "and I want to return. As much as I like this country, I'm afraid I don't belong here."

"What do you mean you don't, dear?" the oldest woman asked, before resuming to her meal. It was as she asked but didn't care about the answer.

"I..." Of course, being ignored by the one who asked was strange, "I miss that country, and all my friends there, that's all."

Nobody touched the rat subject again, and from that moment onward they only wished her a safe travel.

* * *

"'Ability to propagate flexural waves along the length of worm allows an increase in speed and range outside host, increasing infectiousness', 'Worm can dehydrate to become lighter, allowing them to float on wind, increasing infectivity'." Neuren was reading Neurax's transmission traits out loud, trying to decide where to start. He evolved to _'Undulary Locomotion'_ right away, only to see the more ways the Neurax could spread. "Okay, so... 'Water 1' helps you survive in the water, 'Air 1' helps you survive in the air..." he thought, out loud as well. The worm was propagating slowly, probably due to the drugs it can't withstand. He knew that they were just making things harder for the Alpha's offspring. "I knew I had to infect poorer countries first!" screaming suddenly, he declared. He then covered his mouth with both hands. "Damn it... they'll hear..."

He didn't have that many neighbours that could hear him talking, but he feared anyway that either them or people on the street could hear. If he's going to kill everyone with that biological weapon that is the worm, he thought, he had to make sure he didn't get noticed, or the outcome would be terrible.

He looked again at his screen.

"'Drugs 1'..." he read almost whispering, "what about this?" He took a slight glance at the worm, as if waiting for a reply. Few moments later he returned his attention to the screen. "But planes... are always leaving, though..." This time he was thinking again about the poorest countries.

He grabbed his head with both hands and looked down, completely upset. He began cursing under his breath, unable to decide what to do. For some reason, he knew that evolving to Drugs 1 would take a higher amount of DNA points, but he also wanted the worm to spread quickly through other countries. He didn't have enough to achieve both at the same time, so this decision, that would be really easy in fact, he found it as one of the hardest he ever made.

Once again, he looked at the worm, looking for answers.

"You can help me, right? Say something!" And for the first time, he faced the reality that the worm could never speak. "You..." he managed to say slowly, "are useless..."

* * *

The airport was crowded as always. Many of the people there were hurrying, as one of the last planes was about to leave. The unceasing sound of running footsteps made everyone else agitated, and people who were just relaxing began to run with the rest of the population. Why were they so hurried, anyway? Well, the last planes were all heading to North America, more specifically United States. There was a huge event going on, as Apple$oft seemed about to make an amazing announcement. People all around the world were going to see it, though most of them just wanted to go because of the free holidays that the company offered to random people for just assisting. That and many giveaways they were going to make. It was amazing how many people were going to attend, and some would wonder if they actually were interested in the speeches they were going to give or the products they were going to show.

Anyway, it was an important event for every country, so everyone wanted to attend to it. In the USA, there were some people being interviewed randomly at the street.

"We're here, walking on the streets of New York, a lovely day I must say, not a single cloud I the sky," one reporter was saying. He was being broadcasted live and possibly worldwide. "Here and there you can see people wearing t-shirts, eating a cold ice cream. Ah, how I wish I had one. Anyway, let's see if there is someone who isn't busy to answer our questions." While it might be possible that people at the studio were talking to him, to the people at the street it looked like he was talking alone.

He turned around and began looking in the small crowd that was forming. Many people were just chattering, they weren't hurried at all and, as the reporter said, they were mostly eating an ice cream or relaxing in a bench. A scene like this would scream 'summer holidays' right away, however that was not the case. It was just a warm Sunday, in the middle of autumn, and everyone just casually had the idea of relaxing outside instead of worrying about jobs or studies.

"You, sir!" the reporter said suddenly to a man walking by behind him. He must've been in his early forty years, but his pacing was slower than someone in their late sixty or seventy.

"Me?" He pointed at himself, walking to the reporter.

"Would you mind answering to some questions?"

"Sure." He tried to sound casual, but in fact he was excited for being reported.

"Do you know about the Apple$oft convention they're holding in two days?" the reporter asked, moving the microphone from his side to the man's side so it could be heard on TV.

"Yes, everyone's heard about it. I might be going too, I'm a big fan of their technology." He crossed his arms as to expecting to be assaulted with questions, which he did want to answer.

"Ah, I see! And what about the giveaways and the free holidays?"

"People still have to work, so I don't think..." He was still talking but the microphone moved to the reporter's lips, thus the man's voice was not heard.

"No, no," he interrupted, causing the man to stop talking, "the free holidays are for when you have free time."

"Are they?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "Then I guess I can participate too. Is it sorted or something?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess I'm excited for that as well. I was expecting to have one of the new phones in fact."

"And what do you think about the people from different countries that are coming?"

"Ah, this is the less crowded I've seen this street. I'll miss it," he began saying, looking around. "I just hope they don't bring any strange disease or something."

* * *

"That's it!" Neuren jumped suddenly from his couch. He was watching the news, looking for answers as to his next movement. "The Apple$oft convention! They're all going, and once you are in USA, you can travel all around the world," he said addressing the worm.

Under normal circumstances, Neuren should've known about the event. However, the Neurax took about his whole time, and he was completely disconnected from the outside world. The first days of trial and error made him unable to even watch the news, and he forgot that he had planned to go to that convention.

"I can't abandon my good pet here, can I? After all, he'll be lost without me." He couldn't remember the first time he addressed the Neurax as a _'he'_. Right now, it seemed almost like a person. "Then that's it. Air 1. Air 2. Become lighter, my little worm, and spread to the country of freedom."

He continued looking. A few DNA was left to spare. _It'll take time before we can get enough DNA to evolve a drug resistance..._ he thought, looking at the screen, _and while it's good to save, it's better to waste if you know it'll give you more later._ Reading out loud, he continued.

"'Eggs 1: The Neurax Worm produces eggs that are ejected from the host brain in the thousands, increasing infectivity', 'Eggs 2: Eggs hatch when they experience an increase in warmth, likely due to nearby human activity, greatly increasing infectivity'. I like what it says here,_ 'greatly increasing infectivity',_" he echoed his own words. "But you can't evolve yet, you just need a little more..."

He looked at the DNA. Just one point was left, and the Neurax couldn't evolve to anything with it, except for symptoms. It just had to wait for the massive infection in the USA, and hope it would go as planned.

"But without drug resistance... can you do it?" He slumped to his chair, thinking. It was the first time he could have a break from all of it. For a second, he wanted to escape from the Neurax Worm and the future disease it would bring. But it was impossible, because it had already started. He thought about it; the world was cruel, cruel enough to deserve punishment, but was it up to _him_ to give punishment? Again, he took a glance at the Neurax Worm. It just lay there, limp, inside the cylinder. It didn't look deadly at all. In fact, he looked more like a normal living being, completely helpless, harmless, useless... and with only one thing on its mind: survival. Looking at it like this, it was impossible to imagine that it could cause a catastrophe of massive levels. It was so calm, and yet...

Neuren shook his head. _There's no turning back now..._ He thought looking at the ceiling. _The end of this world cannot be stopped._

"I will help you, Neurax Worm, to bring a new age for you. But as for you, do not fail me."


	4. New Year's Gift

**Whew! Back at home. If you've read the update in the last chapter, you'll know why I took so long. (To be fair I forgot what I wrote there so nvm).**

**Anyway, while on my holidays, I managed to write until chapter 7 and the beginning of chapter 8. I'm still not sure if I'll merge two or upload them as they are, but I'm gonna take some few minutes to edit them before updating.**

**Aaanyway, hope you've enjoyed this new year. I'm pretty sure people in _this _universe won't. (And I'm so excited for a new album from my favourite band coming next week. I just felt the need to say it).**

**No more delays, here you go.**

* * *

"Hello everyone, and welcome!"

The place was fully illuminated. With a round ceiling and spider lamps all over the place, light blue walls and an excited crowd, and above all of it, a DJ broadcasting electro music, probably to lighten the mood. This was, in fact, the Apple$oft convention.

Most people were wearing fancy clothes, as they used to do in big events like this one. They all were standing in front of a platform, and in the middle of it was a man dressed in black, speaking through a microphone.

This guy was the famous Gill Bates, a successful businessman who focuses mostly in releasing tablets and mobile phones to the public, but his technology was higher above those of other companies, creating something new once every year, something that people couldn't have imagined but were still wonderful invents.

At some point in his life, he's been declared to be the world's richest person, and that probably wasn't an exaggeration. While his products were high in price, there were many people who would buy them, out of curiosity or need.

Having so much money to waste was probably one of the reasons of so many giveaways. That and to make sure that many people assisted. By the looks of it, it worked perfectly fine, since not everyone could get seats or good spots to see. And it was not because the place was too small.

"I hope you're comfortable down there. Do those on the back hear me?" Most people on the front nodded with cheers. But nobody could see the people standing in the back. "I think I know why you are all here. It's because of the free holidays and the products we're going to give. I really hope some of you are here for the announcement."

A few people laughed. He didn't know why, because he didn't tell any jokes, but it helped to make people laugh, so he smiled as well.

"I see you're all fancy today. What, is there a party or something?" Again, a few laughs from the audience. He waited for them to cease and continued. "But let's get to the point, shall we? You all know about the big announcement I am going to make, but let's not rush things. For those who don't really know, I could tell you about the history of Apple$oft. It all began in..."

From there onwards he wasn't even listening. Neuren was standing in the back, hidden in the shadows with a group of people. The rest of them were trying to listen to the explanation, but as for him, he was scanning the crowd, looking for people to infect. In case that no one takes the Neurax to the USA, he'd need a backup plan to get there, or so he thought.

When he was at his apartment, just after watching the news, he scratched his head and looked again at the worm.

"I'm still not sure... no, wait, I am sure. No... argh!" He grabbed his head once again. For some reason he was hesitant, and his doubts were consuming his thoughts. The plan to infect everyone stressed him to no end, and he realized that in order to make it work, he needed to calm down.

At one point he left the Neurax alone and went to buy some pills. At the time he thought that anything would work so he didn't actually see what he was taking. Just when he was waiting on the line he heard two people talking to each other. The first word that he recalled hearing was "Apple$oft". He paid more attention to it.

"What's that thing?" It seemed an old woman, not really interested in new technologies.

"It's a convention. They'll sort a lot of things! Will we go to USA to see it? People from all over the world will go."

"But how are you planning to go?"

"I know it's hard, all planes are full. However I found one airport almost abandoned but still on business, I can take one of their planes and go!"

"Isn't that... you know, dangerous?"

Just one morning after that, Neuren was paying to go on those planes and assist the convention, not even caring if it was dangerous or not. Luckily enough he had said months ago, when it was first announced, that he would go, so his spot was saved. That's how he came to be in the convention, waiting patiently for the speech to end. Considering how terrible he spent on that plane with that other person, he was sure he didn't want to do something like that again, not even for the worm. He found himself thinking back about the plane, and had a slight sense of nausea creeping up to him.

It wasn't until he heard gasps of surprise, followed with a strong applause that he realized that he wasn't listening at all. He looked at Gill Bates and saw the look of pride on his face. _What if this is dangerous for the Neurax?_ was his first thought. His second thought was asking someone about what did he say, but his third thought decided that it would be pointless. After all, he didn't consider anyone particularly smart to remember something that important.

"Well then, to your left you'll see many stands and you can buy some of our products." Gill Bates was saying. "Take anything but pay for it! Take advantage of the low prices." To his right (left to the public), the walls opened to reveal a larger room, full of tables neatly lined and arranged. Everyone quickly scattered to the room, hands in their pockets looking for their wallets.

"And before I take my leave, I wish you all a prosperous New Year." Gill Bates said, raising his hands before walking away.

"Sure enough, prosperous..." Neuren repeated under his breath. In his hand, he kept a bottle of water, the same that was given to Caroline in the Neurax's first infection. Even though the worm already had other means to spread, this one was the easiest and it worked once.

He looked around; the hardest part was looking for someone. The first time it didn't matter who would be the first infected, but now he needed someone who lived in this country. And detecting them... that was the hardest part.

* * *

For one place that was extremely silent, completely dark, and almost lifeless, a single voice called.

"Honey, I'm hooome!" The voice stopped suddenly, looking around genuinely confused, mostly at the sound of his voice. "What the hell am I doing..."

The worm did not reply.

Neuren went silently to his computer, without even greeting the Neurax, like he always did at this point. He stood in front of his computer, his chair screeching and echoing in the silence. A few moments later he could only hear the barely audible sound of the computer's fan. Forgetting about recent events, he looked at a red symbol on the map.

"What is this?" He asked quietly, piqued with curiosity. A few seconds later, the red symbol disappeared. "Huh?" He looked at the worm, hoping it would answer. Of course, it did not.

He looked again at the screen. For a second he wished that the symbol meant what he thought it meant. Looking at the number of infections in that specific country, United States, he saw that the number three was displayed.

"We're there... it worked!" It was increasing slowly, one every two to four hours. It was easy to know why, after all, USA was a wealthy country, which means the medicine was enough to weaken the worm. "Drug Resistance 1. Nineteen DNA points." Neuren said, looking at the traits window. He already wasted most of his points before, and he had nine left. He just needed to wait a little longer before the Neurax could evolve. But how much more? He was growing impatient, and he knew that the worm has waited enough to evolve the Drug Resistance.

* * *

People were reunited in the street, at their homes, everywhere. With families, friends and even homeless people who just wanted to celebrate.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

A large amount of people was counting down in unison. Even some who were alone at home watching tv. The date was December 31st, 23:59 hours. Everyone was excited, and about to welcome the New Year. Neuren as well was watching TV, even if from where he was living that was a few hours ago. At the same time he kept a hand on his mouse, waiting for the right time. The number of infections was higher than expected, and he had almost thirty points to waste.

"Three!" And he readied.

"Two!" Waited.

"One!" Until it finally happened, "Happy New Year!" The people all around USA cheered excitedly, above the fireworks and noise from the cars or the animals.

"Indeed, happy New Year." Neuren said with a quiet voice. This was the time. The Neurax Worm evolved successfully Drug Resistance 1. "Happy New Year…"

At last he managed to look at the Neurax Worm again, overflowed with triumph. But glancing at it, several memories came into his mind, of cheerful reunions with his family and friends, even some people he didn't know. One year in particular came into his mind. It was around 2000, and being not just a new year, but a whole new millennium, the party they held was bigger than ever. They rented a big house, with a big park for the children to play. It was seventeen years ago, and Neuren wasn't thinking about anything more than playing with the smaller children and people around his age, from eight to eleven.

"Charlie, try to catch me if you can!" One of the younger yelled. Charlie raced after him, happily. They were playing tag probably, but they didn't even chose who was running away and who was chasing. Neuren wasn't particularly close to them, but he didn't mind being involved in their games. The adults were inside, talking so loudly that probably, from their perspective, the outside could not be heard.

Neuren shook his head. He remembered that year too well. His life might've been good before that, but since that year, everything went downhill. Or maybe it all started a few months before that, when his parents sent him to the psychiatrist. When they discovered his unstable condition, when it was known he could never recover from it. It was something stranger than insanity, and wouldn't be fully visible until he reached his middle or late teenage years. At that age, only an expert could see the slight symptoms that Neuren was developing.

But at first that didn't make him sad at all. He lived happily with it, because it couldn't affect him directly, but everyone around him. At the age of seventeen, he began having anger issues, but it was nothing to severe, because he calmed after a few minutes, as if nothing happened. It all began when anger evolved to violence just after, and his family suffered the most for that.

No one ever knew how much did that anger and violence evolve. His younger brothers could see Neuren's bloodthirsty smile, and they felt afraid of it. To him, that was just his brothers' imagination, but his parents, driven with the psychiatrist's predictions, believed that it wouldn't be long until he became a coldblooded murderer, and they would be the first victims.

Despite all, Neuren was strong in mind. He had managed to calm himself down before anything regrettable could happen. When he realized just how serious his state of mind was, even his anger outbursts were under control.

However, there was obviously something that made him hate the world as he does right now. And it obviously began with his family. While he lived normally, controlling his anger outbursts, his parents wouldn't trust him, no matter what he did or say. And it's no surprise, one could not trust someone so unstable.

At the age of sixteen, his parents hired a lawyer and presented a case: Neuren could no longer live with them. The fact that they had smaller children helped to make the judge understand, and act in their favor. As for him, he was sentenced to a lifetime in a mental hospital.

His grudge against his family began then, and continued with each passing day. Inside, he met people with both better and worse conditions than his. Some people there would do things that he couldn't begin to imagine, and find no guilt.

"Hey, you new here?" The first person who ever spoke to him was a grown man, who was around forty or fifty years old. Even at that age, he used to train himself every day, his muscles being the proof of it. Now, he had it forbidden, in case he tried anything with the guards, authorities or other people.

"Yes." Neuren spoke calmly, but he was shivering a little. He knew he couldn't take these people lightly; after all, they were here.

"What you here for?" He spoke with an accent Neuren couldn't recognize, but he guessed that English wasn't his first language.

"They say I'm insane." There were some seconds of silence, and Neuren decided to speak first. "What's your name?"

"Name?" He repeated, with a look of anger and disgust. "We don't have names."

"What do you mean?" He backed one step, readying himself to run if this man tried anything.

"I don't have a name. You don't have a name. He," the man signaled someone in the corner of the room, "doesn't have a name." He paused again, and looking at Neuren's confused gaze, he kept going. "We are nothing. We here 'cause people hate us. And we have no name thus. You don't agree?"

Neuren thought about it. He was about to realize that this man's condition was even worse than he imagined, but he did not dare to say it out loud. The grown, muscular man continued.

"People abandoned us to die. Here. In jail."

"This is not..." he paused to think again. Was it not a jail? Could he really look around himself, look at his situation, and tell to himself that he was not left in jail?

Neuren shook his head. He was back at his apartment. He remembered how that man could have been a friend, but how afraid he felt of him at the time. There was no one he could call friend, and no family he ever cared for, as he felt the complete betrayal of being abandoned. In the end, if the world dies, there wouldn't have been anyone he could miss.

"The world needs you." He was talking to the Neurax now, without looking at it. "It is too cruel to exist anymore." Shaking his head again, he tried to forget it. _If only..._ he began thinking, looking at the symptoms window on his screen, _I could... make them feel what I felt. Feel how your mind can consume you, and no one is willing to understand you, or help you get through that_. His grudge was directed towards everyone he met. Not just his family, but friends, classmates, and former coworkers.

"This is for the best. Nothing holds me back, and nothing holds _you_ back. Right, Neurax?"

He forced himself to forget the man. We'll get to the reason he was there some other time, and what was his relationship with Neuren. But for now, the center of attention is the Neurax.

"Yes... you might be useless." As he always did, he addressed the worm. "But you're a gift, given to me and only me. You will help me, and I'll help you." The worm didn't reply. Neuren kept talking to himself for a while after that, deciding what his next movement would be.

* * *

**Yeaaah, hopping into Neuren's past a little. I mean, you just don't randomly find a virus and begin killing the world just like that, y'know. Not even in Plague Inc.**

**Aaaaargh there's something I wanna say but I'll save it until next chapter. btw STOP WITH THE AUTHOR'S NOTES CRYOTEMPORAL.**


	5. Rumors

**Short episode is short.**

**But why not, a second update for the day.**

* * *

"Don't worry about it, it's just flu."

The kid was waiting for the man in front of him to speak. His mother was with him, with a look of relief on her face. They were standing in front of a man with white clothes. The small white room smelled of disinfectant, and barely had a small window where air could come in. The man was wearing glasses and writing something on a small paper. Signing it, he handed the paper to the kid, who took it timidly. A nametag on his clothes revealed his surname, "Dr. Thompson", and the one on his desk revealed his full name, Dr. Derek T. Thompson.

"Take this medicine for two weeks, even if you don't feel any symptoms, and you'll be playing sports in no time." The doctor said gently, as the kid gave the paper to his mother.

"Thank you, doctor." His mother spoke for him. "I'll make sure he follows."

They said goodbye, the doctor closed the door to the room and continued writing on a paper.

"Another day full of work." He sighed, but smiled at the same time. The best part about his job was seeing the people with worried looks leave with a smile, knowing that they'd be ok. On the other hand, seeing people who can't recover was the worst part of it. Luckily he hadn't those kinds of patients today, but it didn't mean he never had one. Through his more-than-forty years of his life, he has learned how to talk to people who lost hope. He was a well-respected doctor, not because of his ability to detect diseases with almost hundred percent accuracy, but because he also helps to find cures to incurable diseases, and most of all that he can talk to his patients as if they were friends, and help them feel better when they have few moments to live. That's why he's one of the best doctors in the country, almost everyone goes to him when they don't feel good, and he always has the right answer.

Lately, most of his patients came asking him about their slight headaches and other symptoms, all of them related to diseases already known. Some of his patients had illnesses which symptoms normally wouldn't include a headache, and while they told him about it so he could accurately tell what was that they had, he would give them some painkillers and tell them to forget about it, because he thought it could be caused by stress or anything else.

But now he was beginning to have his suspicions about them. Not just from his patients, but from people that thought the headache was something normal, nothing to worry about. However painkillers were stopping having any effect, and he thought if there wasn't some brain disease going around. And it was not just that, but he began to pay attention to the rapid eye blinking of the people around him, and he began to look for a connection between the two events: blinking and slight headache. For the first time, he was beginning to doubt his own judgment, but he couldn't let that interfere with his job and his patients' health.

* * *

"Neural Breach, 'breach the blood/brain barrier to allow access to the host brain. Causes dystonia - rapid eye blinking.'"

Several months have passed since the beginning of the year. From there on Neuren evolved even more transmission traits, and by now he had most countries barely infected, and there were some where the Neurax couldn't reach. One of them was Greenland, and he evolved Cold 1, Cold 2, and Water 1 hoping he would get there. But ships were never leaving towards the big island and planes were useless in this case. He would have to wait for it.

"Cerebral Tendrils, 'tendril production in the cerebral cavities begins. Enables increased control over host brain.'"

He decided it would be the right time to evolve symptoms, while he waited for more DNA to come. The slow infections were making him nervous and impatient, so he decided to act quickly and see the fear of people. While he read out loud, he kept evolving. Just when he finished with _Cerebral Tendrils_, he saw how the branch spread into three ramifications. He evolved into the one who helped the Neurax to hide better from doctors and mostly, people. That is, Anxiolytic Infusion.

"Mass synthesis of neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid, significantly reduces anxiety in the host and minimises severity of reactions."

He read just as he evolved it. He kept reading other symptoms, curious about what the other ramifications lead to.

"Frontal Mesh, 'tendrils mesh with frontal lobe - the conscious thought centre - and gain ability to mentally manipulate host.'"

Something made him stop suddenly. He just sat there, looking at his screen completely frozen, and not even blinking. Thinking he might've misread something, he repeated.

"Tendrils mesh with frontal lobe and gain ability to mentally manipulate host." One last time, he read the confusing part of the sentence, "Mentally manipulate host..."

For several long seconds he thought about it. He thought the worm was like a deadly frozen virus. He only thought that it would help him wipe the human race. But that probably was not the worm's goal. It doesn't just attack the host's most vital organ; it can control it.

Taking a glance at the worm, Neuren spoke.

"What exactly... are you?" For the first time he wished with all his might that the worm could reply. It didn't look useless at all now; this ancient worm could have been one of the most dangerous creatures on Earth.

_The Neurax Worm. An ancient worm with the ability to control people… No, to control living beings._ Neuren kept thinking to himself, wondering if he could use this to his advantage. Sure it wouldn't be him who controlled people, but the worm. He suddenly felt a pang of regret; he involved himself with a dangerous pathogen. _A dangerous pathogen…_ He repeated his own thoughts, _the Neurax Worm is able to control actions. To control thoughts and wills. To control them completely_. He stood up and shook his head. The look of regret changed to one of determination.

"I'm sorry, Neurax." He told the worm, which had grown in size those last months. "But I do not want to control people like you do. They don't deserve anything better than death." He decided to stick with his first plan. "But this can be useful somehow, right? There should be something... something I can do."

He was suddenly reminded about one of the Neurax's abilities. He didn't evolve it at first; instead he decided to wait until he could understand what it meant. This symptom helped, and he opened the abilities window straight away.

"_Trojan Planes_..."

'Manipulation of dopamine transporters results in a form of ADHD which encourages hosts to fly to a target country.' In other words, the Neurax can control its host to make it fly to whatever country it chooses.

"It should've been obvious!" But knowing that every living being controls its own body, he couldn't imagine that the worm could control them instead. "That means..." The map was reflected on his eyes. He stared at it, thinking, and then he realized: even to the countries he couldn't reach, like Greenland or most countries from Africa. Now, to him, it was possible.

* * *

"Aah, I feel much better..."

"But... what about your headache? And your quick blinking?"

"Do not worry, it doesn't hurt. And the blink? My contact lenses are kinda annoying these days." The young man stood up and got ready to leave. "Don't worry, doc. You made an excellent job as always, and I feel better thanks to you."

Derek felt astonished, but he gave the man a handshake and waited for him to leave, apparently feeling better. He had insisted about having him checked, but the other refused several times and it was impossible to change his mind.

But the most surprising part of it was his other patients. They all went to him because they were feeling bad about the headaches, and he told all of them to come later so he could make sure they weren't infected with anything. However, all of them returned with the same results: the headache was not there anymore and so they didn't want to be checked.

All of this made him feel suspicious, but he hoped that it was really nothing at all. He hoped one of his patients would be willing to cooperate, but all of them refused and he couldn't force them. Because all of them seemed to feel fine, he might believe that they _were_ fine. But he knew the blinking symptom was still there, and by just that strange minimal thing he knew that something was going on.

At once he asked one of his patients, but he evaded the question saying, "it's ok, I just got used to it", or others would use the casual excuse about the contact lenses.

When he got home, he obviously told his wife about it, who didn't seem to have any of those symptoms. She said that none of her friends seemed to have symptoms as well, and she suggested that he was probably overreacting and it was just as his patients said.

However, she understood his husband's concerns, and when she was talking to her friends, she told them about the possible new threat, and she explained the symptoms to them. Not long after that, her friends told other people, like their families or really close friends. It was unknown whether the disease really existed or not. So, for now, this was just a rumor.

* * *

**Short. I believe this will be the last uninteresting episode.**


	6. Are you infected?

"People have been hearing rumors lately," a reporter was saying, standing in front of the camera. Because he was at the studio, he wasn't using a hand microphone. To his right there were some panels with graphs and information. People who were watching the TV could see the bottom line, _**Possible new disease?**_

"They are talking about a new disease spreading that has infected very few selected people. While the symptoms are not very noticeable, it's said that the main one is a difference in people's blinking. However, no doctor has reported this disease yet, and so we don't know exactly how real it is."

Sitting comfortably on his sofa, Neuren watched the news, expecting to see something about the worm, at least indirectly related, and came across the news about the rumors. Apparently, adding symptoms was enough to make people notice, but since the Neurax could control their thoughts - to some extent - it seemed that its existence was not confirmed yet.

"Not bad." He said, nodding to the worm. "Not bad at all."

Glancing again at his monitors, he saw that more and more people were being infected even more quickly. Before adding symptoms, he had added more transmission traits so it could get to Greenland, and Trojan Planes in case he couldn't get there. However, for some reason he couldn't control where they went. At least, he hoped it would be the case. Otherwise he would have to acknowledge that the Trojan Planes ability wasn't working as he expected. He thought to himself that they were not for him to control, but to the Neurax, and so he couldn't see them.

"Can't you at least tell your children where they need to go?" He looked at the Neurax again, hoping that it would understand what he was saying at least. But he didn't give any signs of doing it.

It was the middle of the year. In contrast with the first one since he found the Neurax Worm frozen on that glacier, nothing interesting happened at all. He began thinking how boring the second year was, because the only thing he had to do was wait while no one else noticed the infections. And he didn't know how long it would last, because it could take another long year before he reached the uninfected countries. On his screen, he saw that only Greenland, Iceland and select countries from Africa - like Angola or Morocco - were relatively safe.

"This is irritating!" He shouted suddenly, only to fall in silence again. "This is never going to work if we go this slowly. We need more planes, and I guess eggs and wind will do the rest."

Opening again the abilities window, he posed his cursor above the Trojan Planes ability.

"Let's see. 'Axillary steroids in humans used to bolster pheromone production, causing even more Trojan Planes'. This one has to work."

Just as he evolved it, he noticed a screen that showed a detailed list of planes and how they were always leaving to other countries. None of them seemed to be the Trojan Planes the worm should be controlling, but if there were indeed some, they couldn't be noticed.

"Was this list always here?" Neuren asked himself. He didn't completely understand the program yet, so every once in a while he would see a new window with new information, sometimes useful, sometimes useless. "But I guess it's good that they can't notice your planes. Just fly to the countries we need to go."

He looked at one of the monitors above the main one. It showed the inside of an airport. It was the same one where the Neurax infected its first victim, and it was as lively as always.

On the other screens, which were shut down when the worm made its first infection, were scenes of streets, airports, ship ports, and the like. All of them seemed to be from different countries; he had Germany on one, Russia on the other, Australia, USA, Brazil. Eleven countries were shown there, on each of the eleven monitors. The last one was the monitor Neuren was always looking at, where he could see a map of the world, the number of people infected, the cure progress (that obviously was at zero percent), and most importantly, the Neurax's evolution.

The eleven screens showed scenes seen in security cameras, very few installed by him. But he got enough information to hack the others, and so they were shown there.

"At last you're not so useless."

* * *

"What are these rumors we're hearing lately, Dr. Thompson?"

Inside a big white room, with a round table and people sitting all around it, they were debating about the new disease that was probably spreading. It was a meeting, held by the most experienced doctors, biologists, and scientists of the world. It was hold once in a year, to discuss about how the microorganisms evolved every day, what should they do about it, and what should they tell normal people. And of course, this year, the first topic would be the disease that apparently was spreading.

"It is a good question, Dr. Nora. But I think you all know about this already." He stood up and looked all around him, readying himself to explain. "A few months ago, I've been having patients that, even with different illnesses and symptoms, had one or two in common. The first one, slight headache. The second one, fast blinking. I've been trying to check the patients who had these symptoms still, but they would not let me. I suspect there is something they do not want to let us see."

Everyone listened in silence, a few of them nodding occasionally, as if they already knew and suspected as much.

"Has anyone else noticed these symptoms on his patients lately?" A man at the head of the table asked, sitting in his chair, which was bigger and more comfortable than the rest. He was the director of the meeting after all.

"I have." A woman stood up. She had a French accent, but spoke English almost perfectly. "Dystonia, isn't it? Not just my patients, but people on the street, families, friends, and people I barely know. This is not a coincidence." She made a huge emphasis on the word _not_. "We should investigate at once."

"How?" A young ginger man asked. He looked younger and more inexperienced than the rest, and for a moment Derek thought he just slid into the meeting, instead of being invited.

"If we can't find anyone who wants to be checked, we'll force them." Another doctor said.

"No, we can't do that." The director replied calmly. "We might get sued if we use force. We have to persuade them. Any ideas?"

The room fell silent at once, with everyone looking down, thinking. They all have faced a patient who didn't want to be checked for that possible disease and, as law dictated, they would have to respect their decision.

After long minutes of silence and occasional mutterings between two people, Derek was the first to speak.

"I can ask my wife." Everyone looked at him at once, expressionless. "We could all do that. Ask a close member of our families. One might be infected, and if we tell them to check themselves for the disease, there's a chance we know if it's real or not."

The room fell silent again. Derek felt a shiver down his spine, but he stood there, facing everyone and not backing away. At last, the director spoke.

"If there are no more ideas, we'll accept Dr. Thompson's suggestion." He waited for someone to argue or reply, but no one spoke. He declared at last, "we will go on with your idea. Ask your wife, and we'll all ask someone else."

Derek suppressed a sigh of relief. Sitting again on his chair, he wondered if someone from this room had someone who could be infected already, and if they've already tried checking them.

Yes. The man who wanted to force his patients. He has two siblings, both of them showed these symptoms, but they would not want to be checked. Just as the director finished speaking, he just looked at the floor, and didn't raise any objections. He knew how useless it was, but he thought that they would be lucky if they found someone who was willing to cooperate. _Humanity always has been lucky… _He was lost in thought, and couldn't listen to the rest of the meeting. The only thing that came into his mind was the hope that this disease, even if hosted on the brain, is harmless and could go away.

* * *

Many days passed since the meeting. Derek was attending more patients, as usual. All of them with the strange disease's symptoms, but none of them asked about it. He watched them go, not even bothering in asking them about it. It should've been his job to warn them, but he suspected skepticism was a symptom nobody mentioned. As such, they would have to confirm it. He knew that someday, there would be someone who fears the disease, and could get examined.

One time, a girl went to him. And he couldn't help feeling surprised just after she told him about her symptoms.

"A slight headache."

He looked at her for a few moments, piqued with interest. Though the headache wasn't it, but...

"And... my eyes itch. I can't stop blinking like this." Her blinking was fast. _Dystonia, _Derek thought as much.

"Ok... Miss Sharon. Can I call you that?" She nodded. "I see you never had any strong diseases."

"Or weak ones." She interrupted. "I'm very clean; I always keep windows open, I never share people's utensils or glasses. And I'm worried, because this headache won't go away."

"We need to see your condition thoroughly, to make sure you don't have anything strange."

Sharon didn't need to think about it twice to understand what he meant. She knew about the rumors too well, and she feared she might be infected with the disease everyone was talking about, but no one could discover.

* * *

"What... what is this?!" Derek couldn't stop himself from screaming out loud. He had inspected Sharon's condition, having her doing almost every study he knew about. After a few weeks, the anomalies were obvious, and at last she had a picture of her brain.

But what surprised him... was the creature on top of it, resting calmly as if it belonged there. It was the cause of the strange disease; the pathogen. But what _exactly_ was it? For some time he was concerned, but at he noticed that the cure couldn't be that hard to find. After all, one could have a brain surgery to take it off, right?

He would have to think about the cure later, for now he would have to confront the young girl who never thought to be infected with a new disease no one knew about. And after that, contact the authorities, and reporters. Anyone could be infected by now. And that's what he most feared, but he couldn't help feeling relieved too. If everyone is infected, probably they would work faster on the cure; besides there were two symptoms by now, dystonia and headache. None of these were dangerous, and none of them lethal. However, the knowledge of a new disease would make anyone uneasy, especially if the pathogen is hosted on the brain, and it's as big as this one.

"I'm sorry, Sharon." He said, sighing, shaking his head slightly. "You have been infected."


	7. PAX-12

"So, Dr. Thompson, the rumors were true? A new disease is actually spreading?"

"I'm afraid so." Derek was being interviewed, but this time it was not live. He was in front of a camera, with a reporter just behind it. A comfortable sofa and a table were ready for him; on the table, an empty cup and a remote control.

He had called them just to bring the news about the unnamed disease, considering that the faster people know about it, the faster it'll go away, and he offered (or mostly begged) to tell the public about the news of the disease.

"What can you tell us about it? Is it dangerous, should we take precautions?"

"So far..." He hesitated for some few seconds but, swallowing, he forced himself to go on. "So far it's harmless. I don't know how many people have been infected. I don't know if it's lethal, however it doesn't seem to be changing anything about the human body. As for the symptoms, there's only two: dystonia -rapid eye blinking- and headache." He felt as if he said those words a hundred times already. "It's possible we can take the pathogen off with open brain surgery, but it hasn't been tested yet."

"And what exactly is this pathogen?" The reporter asked, and Derek grabbed the remote control that was in the table next to him. Pushing a button, an image appeared on the panel, flashed by the projector.

"It looks like this."

An image of some worm appeared, resting in a brain. The image was not too detailed, but the shape, the outline, was clearly visible. Derek asked Sharon's permission to take that picture, and due to the circumstances she obviously agreed. So the worm that was shown on the projector was a small one, probably weakened due to Sharon's care for herself, but that didn't mean it wasn't growing smoothly.

"This is the worm. For the looks of it, it's highly possible that it feeds on the human brain. Its name; PAX-12."

* * *

"There's nothing to do now, Neurax." Neuren was growing impatient. He wanted people to feel fear of being infected with an incurable disease, but it could not happen until more people are infected or they notice it. The date was fourth of September of 2017; he was still on the second year of the worm's infection, more or less a year of the worm's discovery. If he recalled correctly, he found the worm on August, 2016. From then, he modified the software that controlled it, and he gave Caroline the infected water.

He turned on the TV, hoping to see anything interesting, to get rid of his boredom. But going through the channels, he was confronted with one in particular: someone has noticed the Neurax Worm, and reported it.

For a few minutes he just stared at the screen in silence, not knowing whether to feel relieved or concerned.

_"PAX-12 inhabits a human's brain, and feeds of it. But it's harmless, and in few time we can find the cure in surgery."_

"Surgery?" Neuren echoed. "What about the tendrils?" The tendrils that help the worm manipulate its host. They grow like roots into the host's brain, and if they were to be taken away with force, there's no doubt that would seriously damage someone's brain. That considering they would not die first.

There was the option to cut the worm off ignoring the tendrils, but any good doctor would know how dangerous it is to keep a foreign object inside the brain. And after that they would have to take the tendrils away, one by one, with extreme care. A surgery like that would only be for wealthy people, and Neuren knew too well rich people don't give money to others that actually need it.

Not that it actually matters; the worm can't be cured with surgery. And even if it could, it's so infectious they would have to do it once every month, at least.

_"So it's nothing to worry about, right?"_

_"I wouldn't say we can't completely trust in that; after all it lives on the brain, but I can say that for now we might be able to find a cure smoothly."_

Neuren gazed at the screen, without actually looking at it. He felt relieved that the Neurax has been noticed at last, so he could truly begin with the plan. On the other hand, he was concerned about the cure, constantly asking himself if they would find it in time. And at last he felt surprised, for some reason. His mouth was half open, and his eyes trailed to every corner of the room.

Swallowing, he stood up and faced his computer. Many people were still uninfected, but that was nothing to worry about, the worm only needed to keep infecting people like that.

He finally decided. He would show himself to the world. But just yet?

"Trojan Destroyers: 'Testosterone secretion in Trojan hosts causes destructive and aggressive behavior in target country.' This may be helpful."

He needed people to fear the worm first. And his first step was controlling people so they would react aggressively towards others. If it worked as he planned, then people would have to realize how the Neurax controls them into travelling, and how it creates the aggressive behavior.

But it would take other long days of boredom, so the first thing he did was slump into his sofa and readied himself for a good nap.

* * *

Fifteenth of September of 2017, at the airport of Italy. People from all over the world came to the romantic country, some for the scenery, and others for the food. But always so peaceful, people sometimes go there when they need a break from daily routines.

And so looked the airport; in contrast with the crowded one from USA, this one had people just walking around, looking at the places, laughing, or just waiting with a drink for the people who should arrive.

A man arrived into the airport, letting a sonorous sigh of relief at being on earth again. Getting his suitcases, he padded towards the exit, where a taxi should be waiting to take him to his apartment.

His head down, he was staring at the floor. He wasn't particularly in a bad mood, but something made him feel tired. Anyway, while he wasn't looking ahead of him, his shoulder bumped into someone older than him who was walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He apologized quickly. But the first man just looked at him, from head to feet, and head again. He stared for several moments into his eyes, and dropping his suitcase he crossed his arms. Of course, the other one just looked at him confused, too nervous to go away. "Um... is something wrong?" He asked, hoping he could go away as soon as he answered. But that man did not, and instead took a few steps, until they were inches away from each other.

And then, without warning, or reason, he punched the older one in his cheek.

By pure force, the older one fell, and struggled to get up. His face red with rage, he stared at the younger one, whose fists were still clenched.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" He yelled. Everyone else around them turned suddenly, curious and terrified.

The younger man grabbed the other by the collar of his shirt, and so both of them began a fight, without warning, without reason.

"Ah... these are your Trojan Destroyers, right?"

Neuren was looking at one of his screens, and it showed the scene with the two men struggling. By the time both of them looked covered in bruises, and occasionally somebody would try to stop them with no success. But the fight wouldn't stop by its own, and both men knew that if they couldn't badly injure the other, they would end killed. At the same time both of them kept their humanity and did not dare to take someone else's life, unaware of the other's intentions.

Then the guards stepped in, after one of them called for reinforcements. They managed to hold both men and take them away from the scene. They both struggled in the guards' grip, but they couldn't free themselves. At one point, when they were taken away, the older one collapsed, and they had to call an ambulance.

"I like how this is going." Neuren said, smiling for the first time. "Finally, I like it."

* * *

At the local hospital, doctors were inspecting the two men, looking for severe injuries or broken bones. The older man didn't seem to have any, but he had lost blood and the shock of the fight made him faint. They kept him inside a few days so he could fully recover, and so there police could question him about the events.

But as for the younger one...

"You… have been infected." The doctor told him, after doing some tests on him.

"I-Infected?" He stammered, a surprised expression was on his face. "With what?"

"With PAX-12." The doctor noticed the symptoms and made a quick check on his brain. The results were clear, and the Neurax Worm was already feeding on his brain. At once he called the police officer who was questioning the other man.

"He says he hasn't done anything wrong." He explained to the doctor. "He just bumped into someone and apologized, but the other one started attacking, without saying anything beforehand."

He seemed like he was about to keep explaining, but the doctor interrupted him.

"He has PAX-12. He didn't seem to know at all, and at the same time he doesn't seem to recall recent events."

* * *

"It's about time." Neuren told the worm, while he was watching the news. The report about the aggressive attack at the airport, and the attacker was confirmed to be infected with PAX-12, and thought about the possibility of adding aggression as a symptom. Right now, almost everyone in the world was infected, and Neuren decided that he was waited enough to show himself.

_Respect. Recognition._

He grabbed a camera and turned off the lights, so his face could not be visible. He also turned off his monitors, and the only light that reflected on his face was the dim blue light of the CPU.

_**Fear.**_

"So, how should I start?" He asked the Neurax, but it didn't reply. "Something like... '_good morning, everyone!'_?" He thought for some seconds. That sounded awful. "This is harder than I thought..."

* * *

The day after that, the police officer was at the precinct, he called to his chief right away to tell him about the news. Naturally, he heard them already, as he's been contacted by the doctors and some reporters, and of course he'd watched the news, but he waited for him to finish talking before making any remarks.

"Ah, and there's something else!" The officer said when he finished reporting.

"What is it?" The chief said, with a cigarette on his hand.

"There's a video going through the internet, chief Quartz. It's valuable information about PAX-12."

Quartz inspected him for some long seconds, taking smoke from the cigarette and releasing it into the air.

"Show me." He said at last. The officer saluted him and went to get a computer.  
He searched for the video and hit play. On the screen, he could see a man wearing a hood, but the only feature of his face that he could see was his nose, outlined with a blue light.

"Greetings, world. I see you finally take notice of 'PAX-12'."

"Is him a doctor?" Quartz asked. Everyone shook their heads, unable to answer.

"And you might wonder how the worm and the events at the airport in Italy were related. But what you just saw was not a symptom of PAX-12, at all. It was, what I like to call, a Trojan Destroyer."

"A Trojan what?" Quartz couldn't help asking. He continued watching.

"So it means that people infected will travel somewhere, and in that country they'll act aggressively. As for the creature causing this, here you have it." He signaled to a cylinder beside him, were a worm was being held. He drew it closer to the camera, so it could be seen. "This creature is the cause of the disease." He made a short pause before he continued. "PAX-12 is a Neurax Worm, undiscovered for thousands of years."

"Neurax Worm?" Quartz echoed. The worm was bigger than he thought. Bigger than the one seen on the picture Derek took.

"This is his natural habitat, and you've given it the means to spread."

"What the hell is he talking about?"

"As for me... you might call me Neuren. Some of you might think I'm your ally, with my knowledge of the Neurax. That would be a naïve thought. I am your enemy, do not forget that. I found a way to control the Neurax's evolution. I evolved him so he could control your thoughts and your wills. The Trojan Destroyers is the ultimate proof of it."

"What?!" Quartz stood up suddenly, dropping the cigarette in the process.

"Thousands of years ago, the Neurax Worm could control other creatures, maybe they even controlled dinosaurs. But they were unable to spread until now, when I found this one." He signaled to the Neurax kept inside the cylinder. "And I know I'm not planning to stop. The symptoms seem harmless so far... but not even I know the limits of the Neurax's power. It will keep evolving, until they can kill you, and reclaim the earth that's rightfully theirs." The strange man said, predicting the end.

"This man is insane!" Everyone else agreed, but they were paralyzed and couldn't move or talk.

"As for my reasons... well, I've been living in this world long enough to know that humans should never have existed."

"This makes no sense." Quartz was boiling with anger right now. He was about to shout _turn it off! _but his job demanded he had to see the rest.

"As for the doctors... well, I can just say we are at war now. I'll be waiting for you to find the cure… as you think, open brain surgery to take the worm off. I can't test it of course, because I'm no doctor, but I'm curious about what happens when you do it." He smiled slightly, but the room was so dark that his expression was not visible. "Leaving this behind, I hope you remember me. Remember existence. Remember my name: Neuren… Because this will not be the last time you think about me."

* * *

**Yep, I mostly copypasted the summary from this episode.**

**You know, something I really like about Plague Inc fanfiction is how you can have different perspectives (at least in this case, where I have the main character's one, the news, the police, the doctors, and normal people).**

**Anyway, this is the last chapter I managed to write on my holidays. So the updates will be a little less often from now on. But this is the first time I feel like I could actually finish a story, so I will try to focus on this as much as I can (and no, this won't be a broken promise like my other fic... lol).**


	8. Opposite Transcendence

**Hm. I'm pretty sure I had something for the author's nothes, but I completely forgot. Well then, I might just update instead.**

**Whoops I REALLY forgot something. *re-updates***

* * *

"I won't stop until I see the end of the world with my own eyes. Until the end of human history. I will become the last man of Earth and wait until my own death. The new world begins with the end of this world. The Neurax will make sure... humans don't destroy the world anymore."

Neuren paused a few seconds to think about his next words, wondering how to end the video. Quartz was raging at the precinct, taking the moments of silence to yell desperately at the screen. The other officers just stared in silence, not knowing what to say, but mostly with shocked and horrified expressions.

"And so... welcome to the end of the human race, and the beginning of the Neurax Worm." Neuren said at last, and feeling he had finished, he turned off the camera.

"How was it?" He asked the worm. It moved slightly and went limp again. "I wonder how everyone will react. They won't be able to find the cure like this, I'm certain."

* * *

"Who the hell is he?!" Quartz asked, more to himself. And since it was for himself, nobody answered. "And how does it even cross his mind that he wants to kill the world with a worm?!"

An officer stepped forwards, speaking calmly.

"Sir, what if this person asks for something in return?" He tried to calm him down.

"And now he wants to ask for something?!"

"No, sir... that's not what I meant. This might… not be real."

Quartz almost growled at him, but within few seconds he understood. Something as simple as the video being fake, being just someone who took the opportunity, when PAX-12 was being known, and used the disease for blackmail.

However, it probably wasn't so simple. After all, words said by the man on the video, _"I've been living in this world long enough to know that humans should never have existed."_ And he couldn't remember a single word that could hint what was he looking for.

In other words, it was not as if Neuren was threatening the world because he wanted something in exchange. He wanted a complete extermination of the human race, and that included himself.

Thinking of it like that, it made no sense. Why record a video in the first place? Or did he do it because he wants something after all?

No, the idea itself made no sense. It sounded like Neuren wanted to kill himself, but that didn't mean he needed to kill the world as well.

"Inspect the video at once. Everything. I don't want anything unchecked."

"Yes sir!" Several officers said, saluting him. Before they scattered, he added.

"And try to track this _Neuren_. I want to have a word with him."

Replying with another "yes sir", they all began doing their jobs. Meanwhile Quartz looked once more at the video, hoping to understand it better. The idea of someone controlling a disease just couldn't get into his mind, so he still doubted about the reliability of this video. But if it were to be true... Then, was there hope for the human race? Or would they face the same fate as the dinosaurs; infected by the Neurax, and extinct?

He grabbed another cigarette, and watched the video again. Except for the dim blue light reflected on the worm and very little of the man's face, everything else was black. If they couldn't track him to arrest him, then they would have to be open for negotiations. Either that or hope that doctors will find a cure for PAX-12 before it's too late.

"Isn't it possible to see his face better?" Quartz asked an officer who was passing by, walking towards a laptop.

"I don't think it's possible, sir." He replied, slightly frustrated with his incapability. "I think this video has been recorded with a low quality camera on purpose. Even if we could clear it a little, it would be useless, because nothing would be seen."

"And what about his voice?"

"Well, unlike the camera, that seems to be recorded with a good microphone. But if he used a voice converter, then we are in square one again."

"Try it anyway. There's a possibility we find something."

The officer knew how difficult it was to track someone only with his voice. He wanted to voice his disagreement, but Quartz probably wasn't listening to him anymore. Thinking it would be rude to leave without answering his chief, he spoke again.

"I'll try the best I can… but I think it's easier to track his IP address and… well, I'll try everything. If you excuse me." He then turned around and went to where a laptop was, and began inspecting the video as Quartz ordered.

* * *

News about Neuren's video were already spreading locally; however, without paying much attention to it. It seemed like everyone was convinced that the video was fake, and no one was controlling the Neurax after all. In fact, nobody dared to call the worm "Neurax". Instead they still called it PAX-12, as Derek had said. Since the media didn't take it seriously, then the population did the same and didn't take it seriously. And that was only for the few who were watching the news and knew about the existence of the video. After all, it was barely shown in few channels, and it wasn't on the internet.

"I really thought this would work..." Neuren told himself, completely disappointed. It was the same as always, everyone infected lived happily, not even caring about the disease. For a second he thought that the Adrenergic Constriction symptom forced people to stay calm. After all, if the Neurax didn't want anyone to notice, so that they don't work on the cure, it would manipulate their host so that they feel at ease with it.

The thought about making a second video crossed his mind. But the parting words of his first one didn't help. _And if I make a prediction?_ he asked himself. If he told the world how the worm would evolve beforehand, they would start fearing Neuren and respecting him. But glancing at the worm's symptoms, it didn't have anything that could be easily noticed, taking note of the DNA points he had to spare. And on top of it, he understood the worm; that is, what the worm wanted. Neurax would never allow him to show it to the public.

_But people have seen your real form already..._ Neuren thought calmly, smoothing things over.

He let out a deep sigh. _Just... another year...?_

"Just... another... year..."

* * *

"A year is too long!" A doctor yelled, standing up suddenly.

"I'm sorry, but if we rush things we'll make it worse for the patients." Derek said, trying to calm him down.

The annual meeting ended few days ago. However, at the sudden discovery of the Neurax Worm, Derek had called an urgent meeting, so the same doctors that reunited in this room just days ago were there again.

"PAX-12 has harmless symptoms. We just need to develop a cure, or kill it with surgery." The director said, looking at the other doctor with an expressionless face. His voice was calm, and created silence when he finished talking. Derek was the first one to break the silence.

"You are right, sir." He said respectfully. "PAX-12," and continued, looking around, "is harmless. It cannot kill people, they don't make them vulnerable. We just have to extract it, right? That is the cure!"

The room fell silent again. No one dared to say anything. Everyone was thinking about something, and it was unknown whether they heard him or not.

It was obvious what they were thinking about.

Neuren.

Could he really be controlling the worm, or the worm caused the opportunity to get him whatever he wanted? No one dared to test the video's reliability, because if they did, it was possible that an outbreak would take place soon...

Again, Derek spoke, guessing their thoughts.

"The Ne- I mean, PAX-12 is harmless. Dystonia, headache. There are no more symptoms." _I wish I could stop saying those words now..._ He thought for a second. "And that man just took advantage of the situation to control us, but he doesn't control the worm. It is impossible unless you are in a laboratory with a lot of other scientists. As far as we know, he works alone."

No one nodded, they just listened in silence. Surely they knew the worm was harmless, surely they know how well somebody could take advantage of a disease like that, but...

"But our patients," a woman stood up, breaking the silence, and putting into words everyone's doubts, "before the worm was discovered, they wouldn't let us check them. You were lucky to find someone who cares about their health enough, but what about everyone else? Didn't we all think they could be hiding something from us?"

Murmurs of agreement rose on the room. Those were words Derek himself said on the last meeting, and they all came to believe it.

"I believe that we should investigate further, before making any wild assumptions."

"Wait a minute." The director said finally, and the room fell in silence again, waiting for his next words. "Yes, we can investigate. However, PAX-12 is harmless. It can't do anything, it's weak. That's what we should believe and tell the population."

The woman sat down, slowly. Everyone else looked at each other, but they didn't say a word. The long seconds of silence continued until a doctor stood up and voiced his agreement.

"That's it, then! We perform a practice surgery on someone, and we kill the worm. Then if it works, we can cure everyone else!"

They all stared at him. He sounded so cheerful; he forgot the single thing needed for the plan to work: money. If the funds are not enough, they can't perform an experimental surgery on anyone. Another man, this time a scientist, explained that to him in a whisper.

"Oh, then..." he said again, thinking. "Then we go with Derek's first idea."

Derek looked at him confused, and a slight _"eh?"_ escaped his mouth.

"You remember, when you said you could inspect your wife. My son has been infected, so I can try a surgery on him."

"It's the same, actually." Derek replied. "You need funds to that operation. You can't do that yourself."

"I can try." He said that in a challenging voice. Derek stared at him for some seconds, unsure he had to reply or not. He didn't want to start a fight, after all. But he couldn't let him do that alone, when they didn't know how dangerous the worm was.

"Please, think this over, ok?" He tried to sound as calm as possible. "If you perform the surgery alone, there's a possibility that you make a mistake and damage your son's brain. I do not doubt your capabilities, but we cannot take any risks."

"Then help me. If we need money, we'll take donations. But we have to try, for humanity's sake."

Again, silence. This man for once sounded desperate, but if they were to take Neuren's video literally, everyone would be like that. That's probably the reason no one dared to interfere; either that or they thought that quarrel didn't concern them. Finally, Derek answered.

"I will... try. I can't guarantee anything, but I don't want you to blame anyone if this goes wrong."

"I won't, promise."

Derek was still hesitating, but he couldn't back now. He was willing to do the operation, but the thought about something going wrong could not go away from his mind.

* * *

"I think I'm just going to wait before another video. After all, one after another..." Neuren told the worm, after getting to a conclusion. He watched the TV. Unlike other times, nothing interesting was being shown there. Gamers worshipping some fossil, some person being voted the best author ever, a plague simulator game going viral... But not a single thing about the Neurax, or PAX-12 as they liked to call it. He decided that it was the right time to keep evolving. Over the last days, he found a way to see the worm's symptoms without having to evolve previous ones first. Of course, he could only see them, but not evolve them. "That would be too convenient, though…" He didn't modify the software for it. Instead, the program had that option neatly hidden, and he found it out of luck.

Inspecting the symptoms, he decided see first where would the worm go. The only branch that gave him trouble was the Adrenergic Constriction, because that one made people feel better about the worm. That was the exact opposite of what Neuren wanted.

"Adoration… Devotion… Oh, I see you can make people love you, actually. 'Triggers intense rushes of pleasure', I get it. But-…" He froze, suddenly, just after he read the next symptom. "Transcendence…"

He thought that mental manipulation of the host was the last thing that could surprise him, and that was as far as the worm could go, but when he read that symptom, he realized how wrong he was. The words he himself said in the video echoed in his mind, _not even I know the limits of the Neurax's power. _Hoping to understand better, he read it out loud, and made the Neurax hear what it already knew: its own symptoms.

"Overdose of oxytocin and vasopressin forces host into a permanent state of worship / acceptance - treating the Neurax Worm… as an eternal god…" He stared at the screen for some seconds, in silence, mouth half open. He then spoke again. "People don't just love you… you are their god!" But a god is seen as a good thing by everyone. For example people wouldn't sin if they believed and worshipped a god, so they wouldn't dare to hurt other people.

That's the opposite of what he wanted.

"No… No. I got too confused, and I almost forgot." Neuren said, shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts. "I've already said this a million times, but I do not want to control people. And of course, _I _wouldn't be their god, but _you._" He signaled to the worm, with hidden contempt. He kept reading out loud the symptoms, trying to decide where to go. "Blindness, Aggression, Confusion, Coma… you really have some basic symptoms, don't you. But, you don't normally see them in a disease. I mean… who wouldn't hate to be blind? Except blind people, that is."

Given the amount of DNA he received every time, he would have to think about his strategy better. Nobody was working on the cure yet, so he had a little time… But he wished he could evolve every symptom he considered effective and interesting. The way this program was fabricated it was not possible, and he couldn't find a way to hack it so he could do whatever he wanted.

He kept reading. Considering how the worm controlled the human brain, he had hoped to see that specific symptom, the only one that could make people understand, and the only one that could grant him his revenge.

"Here it is!" He exclaimed at last, when he found it. He read it out loud with great satisfaction. "Insanity…"


	9. Forced Surgery

**I had the beginning written, I had the end written, I had the middle written, but I didn't know how to put all that together.**

**So with the delay, here's a longer episode.**

**Oh, and last episode, I wanted to say that this fic reached 50 pages already! (50 with this episode, of course)**

* * *

Neuren smiled with satisfaction. The symptom he's been waiting since his plan began. He suffered thanks to his insanity, and now he hoped people would feel the same way. _Until it consumes you..._

Unluckily for him, it would take a while to get that symptom, especially with the time it takes to infect everyone. To get to the Insanity symptom he would have to go through several others first and he didn't have enough DNA to go straightly to it.

"Let's see… we have five symptoms so far." He began reading them out loud to be sure. _Neural Breach, Cerebral Tendrils, Adrenergic Constriction, Anxiolytic Infusion, and Frontal Mesh._ Except for the branch leading to Transcendence symptom, every other seemed interesting to him, so he couldn't decide which one to evolve first. That is, considering he'd have enough DNA to evolve another branch of symptoms. Insanity wouldn't be recognized by people, or only to uninfected individuals. He began thinking, how could he make the Neurax Worm noticeable and deadly at the same time?

He had more than a year to think about it, so he decided not to worry about that until he got the symptom he desired. Instead, he took a step and evolved to Immaturity.

"Excess serotonin production triggered. Manic episodes lead to increased contact with others and inability to focus." He read out loud the Mania symptom, which was unlocked after Immaturity. "I should wait a little for this one. I think it slows down the cure, but they haven't even begun working on it." The cure progress was still at zero percent. After all, the doctors were trying to find a cure through surgery, and until they saw the results, the cure progress wouldn't increase. "But why are they hurrying so much? Didn't they all think that you were harmless?"

Neuren stopped to think for a second. When he recorded the video, he said that he didn't know the limits of the Neurax's power. He always kept the worm inside a cylinder, barely letting it breathe. Considering how infectious it was, he didn't want to end up being infected as well. But thinking he could have the same symptoms as everyone else…

He shook his head. He shouldn't feel empathy or sympathy for those people. To him, that meant weakness; hesitation in his plan was defeat. Every option was critical, and decisive. He knew people would try anything they could to survive; his task was to successfully eliminate the human race before they could counterattack.

Still, he was uneasy at the possibility he could be infected. There was no way for the worm's eggs to get through the cylinder, and there was no way he could be infected unless he made contact with someone from the outside world. He specifically chose a job in which he could work at home, and he paid for food delivery. That was until he realized that there could be people infected that made contact with his food, and so he began to disinfect everything he ate with non-toxic disinfectants, most of them homemade. Yes, the food tasted terrible, but as long as he could digest it, it didn't matter. Just then he remembered the drug resistance abilities. For a second he thought about not eating ever again, but he knew that he would have to survive to see the end of the world. And then he stopped caring about an infection. He didn't seem to have any symptoms, considering the worm didn't control his thoughts (and since he could control his anger outburst when he was younger, he believed the worm couldn't control him enough to hide the infection). He believed that, even if the worm is strong against drugs, the eggs aren't as much, and so his disinfectants were working. If this hypothesis was true or not, he decided to not pay attention to it any longer; if he ended up infected with the Neurax Worm, when he evolved more symptoms he would be aware of it.

"I should be buying cans…" He said quietly. Anarchy was undoubtedly going to happen, and he would have to be ready for it.

* * *

Derek Thompson and Darryl Bergström, another doctor who was at the meeting, were attending Darryl's son, looking for positive results of PAX-12. They both looked at him in sadness while all the results showed the infection. The Neurax Worm was there, and that was the undeniable truth.

Now, they began their plans to successfully extract it, and cure the young kid. Considering how the worm could resist even the most powerful drugs, they decided to weaken it with anesthesia, and cautiously extract it. The kid seemed scared about the operation, and he wanted to refuse, but his father insisted, and even scolded him when he tried to argue. He was being forced into an operation he didn't want to go through, and he didn't even feel bad with the worm. But Darryl thought they were slowly running out of time, and wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

They were in the operation room. The kid was already going through the effects of anesthetics, and was slowly drifting into sleep. The doctors were watching him, and readied themselves for the surgery.

First thing they saw when they opened the kid's skull was the worm, and they were left wondering how it could be so harmless if it was resting on the brain like that.

"We have to do it." Darryl said, looking at Derek straight into his brown eyes.

"Remember our deal: if something goes wrong, you will not blame me, you will not drag me into it. I'm just helping you because you insisted on it, alright?"

Darryl nodded with understanding. And with that, they began their struggle against the Neurax Worm.

* * *

"What do you mean you've been infected?"

"I know. I'm really curious about when I got this... thing."

"But Sharon, you're too healthy, you never even got colds!"

Caroline and Sharon were speaking over their computers. Caroline convinced her to buy a camera and a microphone, so they were talking to each other like that for the first time. Since Caroline was already living in the USA, she wanted to see her friend's face at least somehow.

They talked about various topics, like how was the weather in each country, how were the family doing, how work was going, and mostly about trends and movies. By the time they ended talking about that, it was already half past one in the morning in Caroline's country, but they didn't care much about it and continued talking in their beds. Sharon remembered she would have to tell her best friend about her disease, and ask her about her condition.

"I know. But right now I'm wondering about two things. How I got this thing, and if I'm the first one to have it. Right now almost everyone seems to have that illness. What about your country?"

"Here? Well, some neighbors are saying things like the Apple$oft convention made people from other countries spread the disease." She said looking up, trying to remember. "Though most of them say it comes from Africa."

"Africa? Why?"

"I don't know, actually. But they say it." She shrugged, as if to express her disagreement with her neighbors.

"Well, if I had to guess... I'd say it comes from England."

"What, there? Are you seriously thinking you were the first one?" Caroline asked. She could not believe someone who cares about her health as much as Sharon would be the first one infected. But for some reason, she had a strange idea that made her feel relieved. Because her immune system was so strong, it could weaken the worm to be completely harmless like it is right now, and when it infects more people it wouldn't get more dangerous. At least that was her version of the events.

"Yes. I mean, it couldn't make sense otherwise." Sharon replied firmly. Caroline couldn't contradict her, so she changed the subject.

"Today I was watching the news. Doctors say that the worm is unpleasant, but harmless. Something like that and that it didn't seem to have any symptoms. Do you think it'll get worse?"

"I think it'll go away, but the faster the better." They made a pause and stared at each other, with understanding in their eyes. Sharon then spoke again. "People here say the same thing. That the virus can't do anything and we shouldn't worry about it."

"We should investigate!" Caroline told her with her usual cheerfulness.

"I... I prefer to leave it to the professionals."

"Oh, you are no fun sometimes, Sharon."

Then, Sharon remembered one thing she forgot to ask her friend. Caroline was about to say something, but she suddenly interrupted her.

"Caroline... are you infected?"

"What?" The question caught her off guard, so for a few seconds she didn't reply, asking herself _with what?_ When she finally understood, she replied. "Oh, PAX-20? I haven't checked myself but I don't feel anything, so I shouldn't be." She replied, and heard Sharon sigh loudly over the microphone.

"That's a relief... but it's PAX-12, not _twenty_." She couldn't help to correct her.

"Ah, whatever, same thing. I should correct you; PAX is not a virus, but a worm." She added, trying to sound wise.

"Whatever, same thing." She replied imitating Caroline's tone, and they both giggled.

The two friends felt silent for some seconds, and after that they resumed their casual conversation. That until they decided to say goodbye hours after.

* * *

"Darryl, his heartbeats are going faster!" Derek said desperately. They were extracting the worm with extreme care, thinking it would be easy. But when they raised it a little away from the child's brain, they saw several lines connecting from the worm's mouth to the inside of the brain, the tendrils. They wanted to cut them off, but they both knew that it wasn't a good idea to leave them there. They began to extract the tendrils, one by one, with extreme care. They didn't know about any way to decrease its size, so this is the best option they had for now.

They extracted the first one, but they didn't notice any changes in the kid's condition. For a few moments they thought that it would work fine, and that they easily found the cure for a harmless but unpleasant disease. The only thing that was left was to wait for Neuren's explanation. But after they began extracting the second tendril, the kid's heartbeats increased, and he began having slight spasms.

"Keep going, Derek! We have to make it. We're not letting him die."

They extracted the tendril with the same care they did with the first one, but as soon as it was outside the brain, a screeching sound echoed in the room. An irritating and terrifying screech.

The sound that announced the kid's death.

"No... Derek, revive him!" Darryl yelled, shooting a glance at the other doctor.

"What?" Derek woke up from his trance.

"Now! Get those!" He signaled to the defibrillator. Derek looked at it, but didn't move. Not because he was afraid, but because he knew it was useless.

"Darryl, listen..." Surprisingly enough, he didn't interrupt. "This is not a heart disease, nor a cardiac arrest. It's a brain disease. That won't work in this situation. I'm sorry." He looked down and sighed, giving time to the other doctor to grieve.

He stared at the child for a few moments, in silence, before he spoke again.

"It is my fault." Huge sorrow overwhelmed him, noticeable on his voice. "How am I going to face my wife now? How am I going to operate anyone again?"

"I..." Derek began speaking, but stopped suddenly. He knew that after this, Darryl wouldn't even be allowed to go to the annual meeting again. He didn't know how would his wife take it, but he believed that it was possible that he couldn't be a doctor again. He didn't want to add more to the pile he was suffering right now, so he stopped himself before saying anything else.

For several long moments, they just stood there, only listening to the deadly screeching sound of the kid's nonexistent heartbeats.

* * *

**A medical tragedy**

_(...) Darryl __Bergström__, a __Swedish__ thirty-eight-year-old doctor, performed an experimental surgery on his eight-year-old son, Jack __Bergström__, who was confirmed to be a victim of PAX-12. The operation was performed with an anonymous doctor, but Darryl chose to hide and protect their name._

"So they finally did it." Neuren said, looking at a newspaper article through the internet. Looking at the title, he was curious to know what happened. On a lucky guess it was about the Neurax.

_Jack __Bergström__, unfortunately, perished on the night of September, 30th. He died in the operation room, when his father tried to extract PAX-12 from his brain._

"Hey, Neurax, come to see this! Your first victim." He said turning his head to see the worm. "Well, it's not technically yours, but it is because of you."

_According to Mr. __Bergström__, PAX-12 has the shape of a worm, with several vessels going from the worm's mouth to different portions of the brain._

"Vessels? Those are tendrils."

_Upon extracting them, his son's condition began to worsen, until his body finally gave up._

_As for his life after that, it's known that his wife left him with their other children, considering him a danger to humanity. His title was revoked, and now he won't be able to attend any more patients again._

"Oh, you _did_ destroy this man's life."

_Investigation on PAX-12 will continue, but due to the few countries conducting the research, it's expected to take a long time. (...)_

"Well, isn't this interesting." Neuren told himself, grinning. He didn't consider the kid to be the worm's first victim, though. But this was enough to ruin a doctor's life and, apparently, a very famous one in Sweden. But it seems he wasn't as good as people thought him to be.

He stood up and sat again on his sofa. He turned on the TV, and the first thing he saw was something about the dead kid infected with PAX-12. The same he read about in that article. He watched the news, but nothing new showed up. They didn't mention the second doctor, either. Nor the doctor's wife, whose name was hidden for some reason.

He didn't care about them, though. As long as his plan worked, there was nothing to worry about. Considering this turn of events, he decided it would be the right time to record another video, announcing the symptom he just evolved and have a word with that doctor.

* * *

The room was a complete mess of papers and files all over the floor. People in uniform running around, looking for something. They usually aren't this messy, but they couldn't help it this time. One of the officers dropped everything on the floor in accident, and they all were having a hard time reorganizing everything.

Quartz, above all, was yelling angrily at the newcomer who created it. This was his first time at work and he wanted to do it right, but he messed up.

And while they all were running around, they all stopped suddenly when one of them called. They all turned to chief Quartz to bring him the news. Not the one about the kid's death, but another one far stranger.

Another one of Neuren's videos appeared, and they had to see it right away.

"Just you wait." Quartz said to the newcomer. "I'm still not done with you."

He sat down in a chair surrounded with other curious officers, all of them standing up. A laptop was ready for him, and the video was fully loaded. Before hitting play, he turned around to one of the officers.

"Did you find anything?" He asked.

"No, sir..." The officer said, shaking his head. "I tried to track him with everything I had, but it was impossible."

Without replying, Quartz turned his head to the screen and hit play. Just like last time, the man's face was covered in darkness, outlined with a dim blue light, and the worm just beside him.

"I see you've followed my advice..." Neuren said, smiling once again. But Quartz couldn't see his expression.

This time, he kept silent until Neuren stopped talking. He didn't want to miss anything.

"But why would you trust someone like me? I created this worm. I use it to infect people. I'll use it to kill people. Yet off you go, following my orders and ruining your own lives."

_What is he talking about?_ Quartz thought, but he forced himself to stay silent and listen to the rest.

"That kid... Jack, isn't it? Luckily he had a simple name anyone could remember. But that doctor went and followed my advice, and operated that kid. He ended up dying, just as I predicted it would. But the worst part is that the kid was his son, and his wife left him, and he can't work as a doctor anymore. I hope you remember me now, Darryl Bergström; you, me and the Neurax Worm, we all ruined your life."

_This is definitely a taunt for that doctor..._ Quartz thought. He lit a cigarette, and began smoking.

"You realize now that the Neurax Worm cannot be taken off. The _vessels_, as you called them, slowly leave the person's brain, damaging everything on its surroundings. Something like this was obviously going to happen. And you remember I'm no doctor, but even I know that."

_How long will he keep talking about it?_

"But then, where is the cure? You don't care that much about the Neurax Worm yet, so you shouldn't worry. You should worry about Immaturity instead... Oh, what is it, you might ask? Don't worry, you'll see it in PAX-12 patients soon. But it's here where we say goodbye, for now."

The video stopped abruptly, and Quartz gave himself a break from his own silence.

"Okay, I understand that this Newton..."

"Neuren." Interrupted one of the officers.

"Right. This Neuren taunted the former doctor Darryl Bergström. He probably made this video for that purpose."

"But why, sir?" Another officer asked.

"I don't know, but if they know each other, that could be a clue. I want someone to inspect Mr. Bergström_'s_ family, friends and even people he barely knew. If you ever find someone who could be a suspect, find enough proof and question him."

Three officers replied with a "Yes, sir!" and scattered in different directions. If Neuren took special time to taunt that doctor, it's possible that they have known each other some time ago and they had a grudge against each other.

"Now, as for that symptom… What could it be?" He asked in a low voice, as he looked at the screen again swallowing the smoke from his cigarette. One of the officers who remained stepped forward, and faced his chief.

"Sir, I think this video is a little... old."

"Old?" He echoed, with the cigarette still on his mouth.

"It was recorded just after Mr. Bergström's son died, sir. It's been a week after that."

"Oh." Quartz said like he barely cared about it. Why was that important, anyway? He saw the video, after all, but they were so busy that they couldn't see it until that day. And above all, the video wasn't meant for him, but to the doctors and especially to Darryl. It provided a clue, nevertheless, to Neuren's connections to other people.

Just as he was thinking that, suddenly, an officer burst into the room, screaming desperately.

"Chief Quartz! Sir!" He called out. Quartz stood up quickly and faced the officer.

"What is it?"

"It's Darryl Bergström, sir." He said, trying to catch his breath. "We've received a phone call from his daughter. She said he's been found dead in the bedroom of his old house. A letter confirmed it, sir; he committed suicide!"


	10. Dead Letter

"How did this happen?!" Quartz asked everyone in the room. No one could provide an answer, but the officer that just entered the precinct walked to him, without saying a word. Quartz stared at him with a surprised expression, but didn't say a word. The officer handed him a paper, which Quartz read out loud so everyone could hear.

"If you're reading this, it's possible my time has come. Finally, I took the decision of taking my own life. I cannot live with the guilt of murdering my own son, out of my desire to stop PAX-12... the Neurax Worm. The love of my life has left me, with my other children. I won't be able to work as a doctor anymore, I won't be able to follow the path I chose of helping people overcome any disease. I won't be able to attend any more meetings to discover new cures. There's nothing left for me, except going to jail until the rest of my life. If that's what my future will bring... I don't want to be here, in this world, anymore. If you're reading this, please remember I was a good doctor... and not a murderer. Please remember how many people I saved. Please remember that I was a good person. And... goodbye."

The room fell silent, the air was tense. The most veteran officers stared in silence, expressionless, because they went through experiences like that before. The newest ones stared in horror and fear, not knowing how to react.

Quartz just waited for an explanation, one nobody could provide. Those were Darryl's words and feelings, there was nothing left to investigate. They knew the reason, but not the method. But was it important?

"If no one is going to say anything, then check the handwriting of this letter. Compare it to Bergström's handwriting, and see if they're similar. If you spot differences, talk to me at once. You hear me?" He said in his usual imperative tone.

"Yes sir." Some officers replied. Quartz couldn't rule out the possibility of the letter being a fake, and it being a murder case instead of a suicide. Even if it was improbable, it was possible.

An officer walked slowly towards him, and signaled to the letter, that was still on his hand.

"Sir... there's something else there."

The back of the letter had something written on it. This time he didn't read it out loud, instead he read it silently, probably so the others wouldn't be distracted and get to work already. When he finished, he folded the paper and gave it to the officer, so he could hand it to someone to investigate.

_You might wonder why I did that. Why I performed an experimental surgery, if I wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. I think... it was because of Neuren. I feared that his video was true. I didn't want my son to suffer if the disease were to be more dangerous. I fear the disease that Neuren might create. Should we take him lightly? Should we forget this, as if nothing was happening? I want to know who he is. If I'm not alive for that time, I will see it from heaven... or hell..._

* * *

"Oh my worm, are you serious?" Neuren exclaimed, watching the news. For the first time they were speaking about the Neurax Worm almost daily, mostly because of the Trojan Destroyers, and the large amount of infections discovered. It didn't seem like people feared the worm yet, possibly because the media decided to take it lightly, but with warnings.

The news were showing Darryl's suicide, although they didn't confirm if it was an assassination yet. Darryl wasn't infected with PAX-12, and they were testing his family for positive results of infection.

Lately, the country seemed to be revolving around Neuren. Hopefully for him, before long, the world would be speaking about him. That was the closest to world domination he could think about, and the most he could manipulate the world. There was something else that could give the Neurax more power over the human race, and that was the Transcendence symptom, which was useless to him. However, by spreading fear over the media, that fear would spread over the population, just like a disease. And then he could ask for anything, threatening the world with an outbreak if they decided to go against him.

He thought long about that. There was nothing he desired. He was like a king, like a god or a demon to the world, and yet there was no reward to him, more than the extinction of the humans, the final goal.

He grunted and shook his head. These thoughts were consuming him daily; every day he wondered if he was making the right decision, if his plan would fail, if it was worth it. He always tried to dispose of those thoughts every time, but he couldn't help hesitating. He wanted to stop thinking about anything; he wanted to be cold in personality, but once in a while his human conscience overwhelmed him, getting to the point where he wanted to infect himself with the worm and let it take over.

He let out a painful scream leave his throat. He focused, trying to empty his mind. He stared at the monitor deciding that, in order to calm down, he would have to keep going with the plan, and evolved another symptom.

"'Excess serotonin production triggered. Manic episodes lead to increased contact with others and inability to focus.' Will this work..." _...to ease my mind?_ He completed the sentence on his thoughts. However, he didn't have enough DNA points to waste. He needed two more at least, and he decided to wait until he gained them to evolve the Mania symptom.

He decided to think. Think about the disappointment he felt throughout his life, and hoping that would give him the courage to continue.

* * *

The funeral was delayed. It had to be, in order to let the police investigate the details about the suicide. _What's the point, if he's already dead?_ Most people thought. Especially Darryl's oldest daughter, Pamela. She was almost nineteen years old, and the first witness after her father's death. She found the suicide letter on the kitchen table, and walked cautiously through the house, calling his father, hoping he wasn't dead as the letter implied. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and she found him lying on the floor of his bedroom.

Panicking, she called the police at once, but now she regretted doing it. They were investigating something that was obvious, so what was the point?

She thought for a second; PAX-12 was the cause of the tragedy, even though the disease was harmless. But considering this incident, it might not be as harmless as everyone thought.

Not just that, but the people at some airports, with their aggressive behavior... it was something to take into account. Neuren himself said that there were special planes that made people act aggressively in the arrival country. How was that even possible? At first, they thought that the aggressiveness in people who were infected with PAX-12 was just a coincidence. But Neuren's video and the large amount of cases were beginning to tear down that very possibility. Luckily enough, there were no deaths yet. But call it a hunch, intuition or a delusion, the feeling that the aggressiveness would get out of control soon could not get away from her mind.

Without knowing it, Pamela's thoughts began revolving around the worm, and Neuren. She was involved in the whole subject even if she didn't want it, and now with her father's death she couldn't run away from that fate. She wondered if, some day, the police would be able to find Neuren and the Neurax Worm, and stop the disease without any deaths. Hoping that was probably too optimistic but, considering everything, she needed a little hope.

She was watching the last of Neuren's videos again; they were on the internet after all. She couldn't help feeling a burning anger and frustration for everything he said about Darryl, and would've loved to reply to him, but the likelihood of him seeing her reply was particularly low.

She listened again at what he said, about _immaturity_. She didn't understand that at all. Of course a worm couldn't make people less mature, that was for sure, but what did he mean anyway? Because Darryl wanted to keep them away from other people, Pamela hadn't met anyone infected with PAX-12, except for her younger brother. And he was a kid after all, so he obviously was immature. Did that mean people infected would begin acting like kids? That was pure nonsense. She tried playing the detective for a little while and try to guess what he actually meant with that, to no avail.

Sighing, she turned off her laptop. It didn't matter too much, it was up to the police to discover those things. Her family was uninfected, that's all that mattered. And of course, nobody could blame them for being clean. There was no way for them to be in danger, after all.

* * *

"'Hypothalamic tap causes irrational hatred and violence, especially towards authorities and uninfected.' Perfect, this one seems rather helpful. You can harm people even if they seem to be okay." Just in case, he read the next symptom on the branch. He decided to evolve to Mania, after seeing what the next symptom would be. He considered it helpful for when the governments decide to take action and prevent people from infecting others. And of course, in case somebody decided to take extreme care with other people and prevented them from being infected. Neuren believed that somewhere, somebody would be eating disinfected food just as he was doing. "Almost there... soon, people will feel like I felt my entire-... what?" He stopped suddenly when a message appeared on his screen. The first thing he noticed was that the Aggression symptom was evolved, even if he didn't do it. "Evolved... without using DNA points? You can do that?"

He looked at the worm. That made sense, in a way; bacteria evolved every day, it would make sense for the worm to evolve too. At least he hoped it would, or else he'd have to acknowledge that the Neurax Worm's power was limitless. He believed Transcendence was the last feature that could surprise him, but apparently it wasn't, with the difference that this self-evolving was probably helpful.

"Nice. Too nice. I wish you could do that more often, but I won't complain as long as it works." Neuren said, turning back to the screen. "Now, I should wait for Insanity to be available, and we can move on."

* * *

"Will you tell me your name now?"

A few days have passed. To him, it was only hours, some long hours, because he didn't know the passage of time inside those four white walls. He only knew that he had slept seven times, but he didn't know if he was sleeping at day or night. He was talking to the other man, whose name he didn't know yet, but he gave the same reply he always did.

"I don't have a name."

He hadn't asked for Neuren's name, and he didn't care about it. Neuren wanted to tell him some times, but the man would stop him before he said any word.

"You don't have a name."

They went through their lives inside the asylum without calling each other's names. Neuren found it frustrating, but he didn't complain. Even if that man wasn't allowed to exercise and grow his muscles again, he was still strong, at least for someone of his age. He didn't want to provoke him, didn't want to be so frustrated, and didn't want to run away from him.

"Why are you here?" Neuren asked the man. He realized that he never asked him, and he was curious. However, the man decided to change the question.

"What's the real reason why you're here?"

Neuren stared at him defiantly for some seconds. He couldn't argue and tell him to answer first, but he was frustrated with that single fact. He had to answer anyway.

"I've told you. People think I'm insane and my family is paranoid. What's your reason?"

To his surprise, the man chuckled. Neuren didn't know if he was mocking him, or he was laughing for some other reason. The man looked at him straight to the eyes, to intimidate him.

"I believe that... making people suffer is fun."

Neuren wasn't intimidated by his word or his stare, and just nodded as if he didn't care. He was surprised at how he could control his fear for the first time, not without a sense of superiority. After all, every time he spoke with that man he had to be submissive or get into a fight he couldn't win.

"I see. So?"

The man kept staring at him with a serious expression. He smiled again, and crossed his arms approvingly.

"You're growing, kid. But you maybe don't understand what I meant." Though Neuren kept his expressionless face, he knew that his man was right. "I mean... I torture people for fun." The man chuckled again.

"You can't do that here." He forced himself to remain calm, even though his skin was paler than ever, and a cold sweat was threatening to reveal.

"You right. I can't do that here." He repeated, but his smile didn't fade.

Once again, Neuren felt the disappointment he felt the first day. He wasn't as insane as that man, he couldn't harm anyone. He had a bad temper, that was true, but that didn't mean he was insane as that doctor said. There, he faced the true meaning of insanity and met many unstable people. And he hated it; he hated the world he was forced to live in, just because he wasn't meant to be there.

Just when he grew up, and found the Neurax Worm there, frozen on ice, he realized how right his parents were. How right and cruel. He knew that man without a name was still alive somewhere and he realized that now, he was on a higher position in the hierarchy. And he reached the ultimate level of insanity.

He couldn't help laughing loudly. Those times, when he couldn't go outside in fear of infection, gave him many chances to think about his entire life and remember every single detail. But this was the first time he remembered everything and felt better, instead of the usual hesitation he felt when he stared at the worm. He promised to visit that man some day. Until then, he would wait until the Aggression symptom became noticeable.

* * *

**Dude, so many typos... Uhm, yeah, Author's Notes.**


	11. Passive or Aggressive

Relaxing in a bench was Thomas, a thirty-seven year old man. His hair was black, though some white hairs were beginning to show up. He was a calm person, usually kind with everyone, especially to the pigeons he was feeding. Many children were running around, playing in the park, while the adults were just relaxing and talking to their friends. It was the usual sighting he would see in the park, and it made him happy. Even if the sky was cloudy, the temperature was just perfect and the wind was the final touch.

He took a last bite of a sandwich he was eating. He ran out of seeds to feed the pigeons. Normally, he would go and buy more, but he didn't want them to be too fat. He cared too much about the birds.

That day he was not feeling too well, even with the quietness of the park. After all, he has been confirmed a victim of PAX-12, and even though the disease was harmless, that didn't mean he couldn't feel bad about it. A worm hosted on the brain? Who would want that? The way his eyes itched was particularly bothersome. He didn't know how he got the disease, but he wished that the doctors would find a cure already.

Thomas sighed. He looked around him, the scene didn't change; only some pigeons were already leaving for their nests. The sun was beginning to set, dyeing the sky a pale orange color. He stood up to throw away the plastic bag and the paper that contained his sandwich. That was a delicious sandwich.

Some people were exercising, running around the park. Thomas looked at them. With all that exercise, they could get a cold easily... or get PAX-12. He looked at their eyes, but he couldn't see anything. He looked at people sitting in the park, enjoying themselves and chatting with their friends. He couldn't see anything. Their eyes didn't itch. He couldn't believe it! With so many people infected, he was the only one in the whole park? And why should he tolerate something like that? Why was everyone else so lucky that they didn't have anything to worry about?  
He threw the plastic in a trash can he found nearby. He shouldn't be thinking like that; if it weren't him, it would be someone else who didn't deserve it.

He approached someone who was sitting on another bench. He seemed to be relaxing, and Thomas decided that he should relax as well. Greeting him, he asked politely if he could sit down beside him. The other man nodded. Apparently, they were about the same age.

"Ah, the weather is so nice in this park." The stranger said, trying to make conversation. Thomas nodded, approvingly. "Are you here alone?" He asked before realizing how stupid that question was.

"Yes." Of course he was. "What about you?"

"Me too." _Talk about pointless questions..._ he thought to himself. Some moments of silence followed, in which they heard the singing of the birds and the wind rustling the leaves, until Thomas, for some reason not even he could understand, asked.

"Do you know about PAX-12?"

The other one looked at him surprised.

"Uhm... yeah, that thing everyone's been talking about. But I'm not infected or anything, so don't worry." He thought for a second that Thomas asked him because he was afraid of being infected, so he said that quickly. To his surprise, that didn't make him feel relieved.

"You are so lucky." He said instead. He gave him a cold stare and faced away. The other man didn't know what to say, so he just asked.

"Uhm... are you?"

"Lucky? Most definitely not. Infected? Most definitely yes." He replied, looking at the park with a serious face.

"Oh..." He looked at him with a bit of sympathy. "But, you've nothing to worry about. After all-..."

"Nothing to worry about?!" Thomas interrupted, standing up, his fists clenched. The other man just stood up slowly, and tried to calm him down. "Easy for you to say."

"Calm down please, sir. I didn't know it worried you so much."

"Didn't know?!" Everyone at the park stopped talking at once, to face the two men arguing. Only Thomas seemed to be yelling, while the other one tried to speak calmly.

A fight was undoubtedly going to happen, just when Thomas punched the other man on the stomach. The other one contorted, spitting. He didn't want to be involved in that fight, so he didn't hit Thomas. Instead, he used his arms to protect himself, while the other kept punching him every time he saw an opening in his defense. Many people rushed over to them and tried to hold Thomas, but he acted aggressively towards everyone who got near him.

"Stay out of this!" He yelled at everyone. Some people didn't pay attention to him, and helped the other man who was lying on the floor, apparently conscious, but in pain. "So all the uninfected are together?" He said, in a lower tone, but still yelling.

It took some minutes before the police arrived. Meanwhile most people were trying to hold Thomas, so he wouldn't attack anyone else. He tried to resist, but against that many people he could do nothing. Then, the police took him to interrogate him, while an ambulance took the other man. In a second, the park returned to its usual quietness, echoing with the sound of the sirens, and everyone returned to their business, with the tense atmosphere on their heads. But the topic they all were talking about was the same: what the hell just happened?

* * *

The inside of the police station was dull and grey. He looked all around him, he was sitting in front of an empty desk, surrounded by walls and a corridor, probably leading to a cell.

He swallowed. That place gave him shivers, nobody knows how many dangerous people were inside there. He hoped not to be among them.

Suddenly, a man appeared. He was wearing a uniform, and dropping many files on the desk, he sat down on the opposite chair.

"His name is Frank. He was badly injured on the stomach, and even some ribs were broken." He didn't look like a chief, but he spoke like one. Thomas was unsure about this man. "What do you have to say?"

"I want to apologize..." He said, looking down."

"First, I must interrogate you. So, what happened?"

"I don't know!" He exclaimed suddenly. "It was as if... I couldn't control my own body. I'm not a bad person, I've never had trouble. You should have something there to prove it." He signaled to the papers scattered all over the desk. A few ones fell on the floor. The officer nodded.

"I see. But why did you hit him? How and why did the fight began?"

"I don't know... I didn't mean to do that."

"Okay, I'll ask you something easier." Though that wasn't the first time he interrogated someone, he believed it was frustrating when people wouldn't answer his questions. "What were you talking about before this happened?"

Thomas paused a few moments to think and remember. His memory was all foggy, but he could make out some parts of the conversation.

"I was eating a sandwich... a delicious sandwich. Then I saw him... and he sat down beside me. Or was it me? Uhm..." He made a long pause, trying to remember what they talked about. "Why don't you ask him?" He said at last.

"He's in the hospital. We won't disturb him and besides, we need both sides of the story." The officer replied, tapping his fingers on the desk, a sign of impatience.

"Right, then... I think I told him how I feed the birds. No, wait, that's what I was doing."

The officer grunted loudly. He put his elbow on the desk and rested his head on his hand.

"Continue." He said with a bored expression. Thomas seemed confused, but kept talking.

"Right, then... probably the weather and something... something... PAX-12!" He screamed suddenly, happy to remember. "Yes, PAX-12, because I've been confirmed to be a victim of it and... he wasn't, I think. Then... I fought with him because I was jealous?" He said that, but he was unsure of his own words. The officer finally was satisfied.

"Until we can hear other sides of the story, including the witnesses, we won't let you go."

"At least I should be allowed to go to the hospital." Thomas said defensively. The officer just stared at him.

"Why?"

"I got into a fight, I should make sure that I don't have anything. And I'm infected. That's reason enough."

The man thought about it, looking at him in the eyes. Finally, he nodded, and stood up.

"Follow me." He said.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked to his patient. His thorax was covered in bandages, and he was unable to move well, but he nodded.

"Better. It hurts a little, but not like the first day."

"Good. There seems to be someone who's looking for you, and the police want to ask you about what happened."

Frank stared at him, but said nothing. He didn't want to meet them, but he had no choice. Sooner or later he'd have to be interrogated, and he preferred it to be sooner. He faintly replied to the doctor, and he left the room, probably to call the next people who would be visiting him.

He stared at the white ceiling for some seconds. At night, the ceiling was black, but on a day like that, with the sunlight filtering through the window, the white ceiling was clearly visible. He let his thoughts wander around this matter until he heard the door opening. He raised his head only to let it fall to the pillow again. Pushing a button that was conveniently next to him, the bed moved until he could face directly to the people in front of him. Three men in police uniforms, and one surrounded by them. He recognized that face, vaguely.

"You!" He exclaimed in surprise. He stared at the officers, waiting for an explanation. The one on the front stepped forward.

"We need to ask you about that day, when you and this man had a fight in the park."

The doctor poked his head into the room, and without waiting for an invitation, he entered. He wanted to make sure of his patient's situation before he was interrogated.

"Yes... I told them the story already." Thomas said. "I want to apologize for that, before this begins. It was probably the stress of being sick, but I'm not like that, believe me."

"Sick?" The doctor echoed. "If you have a contagious disease, you shouldn't be near other sick people. Follow me."  
Thomas took a quick glance to the first officer. He just looked at the other ones, and gave them the order.

"Follow him. We should do as he says. I'll stay here."

With that, the four of them left the room, without saying anything. The officer kept going, and asked Frank about the events of that afternoon. He told him the same story that Thomas told him; that he approached Frank when he was sitting alone in a bench, and that they randomly spoke about PAX-12 before he had that outburst. The only differences were minor, as Thomas had said that he couldn't remember everything clearly.

At the same time, the doctor was asking about Thomas' infection. If he needed to be attended, even if he was aggressive, it was his job to help. However, he wasn't expecting the kind of disease it was.

"PAX-12."

Several cases of aggression were discovered in patients infected with PAX-12. A symptom? A coincidence? What Neuren said in that video was beginning to come true. That doctor knew it, the worm was evolving, and not just to resist the most powerful drugs.

He took Thomas to a different room, one in which he would be almost quarantined. He ordered the two officers to leave, before they would be infected too. That was something he would discuss in the next meeting.

* * *

"Aggressiveness, a symptom?" The director said, skeptical. "Can you prove that, Alkaev?"

"I think I can." He spoke with a Russian accent, though he was temporarily working in the UK. Some doctors of the meeting were, in case something relevant appeared and they would need another meeting. The same way, most were still attending patients in their own countries, as most of them didn't see the need of holding so many meetings. Of course, Derek was not among those people. Discovering the worm and giving it a name, he felt like it was obligatory for him to be in every meeting, aware of every change the worm could have.

The chief gestured for the doctor to begin his explanation. He nodded, and turned to the public, like he was going to give a speech.

"We already know, from Neuren's video, that some people infected with PAX-12 act aggressively in some airports. I'm starting to believe that it's not just in airports, but in everyday life as well. Recently, I've been having patients who've been attacked by other people, most of these attackers infected with PAX-12. Our last case was in a park, not far from here. Have any of you heard of that case?" Some people nodded, while some people remained silent. Those living closer to the park were aware of the unconfirmed rumors, but that incident wasn't shown on the news, internet, or anything, so those who weren't living there couldn't have known what happened. "The attacker was infected. The strangest part of the story is that he claimed to be a very calm person, and some members of his family which the police interrogated, claimed just the same."

"So you believe that, because he was infected, he acted like that." Derek spoke up, without standing up. "But why didn't the signs show up before?"

That was a question most of the people in that room were wondering. However, they all had to come to the same, unthinkable conclusion.

"Neuren controls the worm." Alkaev's words resonated in their minds. There was no way a person could control a disease but, if he indeed found a way, everything would make sense, pieces would fall in position. The way the worm kept developing more and more symptoms, it couldn't be done by simple evolution. A pathogen would evolve to survive, as every other species would, but this one didn't do that. It evolved according to a man's desires, not to survive, but to kill.

"We need to find a cure." Derek said in a desperate tone. "Darryl knew something like this would happen, and he tried to avoid it. If we can't extract the worm, we need to create a drug."

"That worm has an amazing resistance to drugs." A woman spoke with a refined accent. An expert in microbiology, she inspected one of the worm's eggs until it hatched, and then went to see its reaction with drugs and temperatures. "The drug we create must be powerful enough to weaken it, but we have to make sure it doesn't harm the patients as well."

"Despite that, I agree with Dr. Thompson." The director said, in his usual calmness. "Harmless or not, if there's the possibility of it being more dangerous, we cannot risk more people. There haven't been any deaths yet, but if Alkaev's suspicions are true, we can expect a victim soon."

"Then that's it." A younger scientist said. "We have to start a cure research."

Derek stared at them, with a mixed feeling of relief and tiredness. That meant even he would be needed to work on the cure. At least he hoped it was for a good cause.

* * *

"On other news, the UK started a cure research for PAX-12." A reporter said to the camera, while an image of the worm appeared beside his head. "Without greater funding, it's expected to take a long time. Many cases of aggressiveness were confirmed in PAX-12 victims, and it's believed that it could be a symptom, not different to the _Trojan Destroyers_, the people who travel on planes to other countries and act aggressively in their destination. Hopefully, the cure can be done before PAX-12 can infect more people. Meanwhile, various countries from the south of Africa had decided to close airports until the disease is under control, while northern countries like Greenland decided to close ship ports." The images changed to a map of Africa and Greenland. "Only time will tell if it works."

"It has begun, doctors of UK." Neuren said, smiling. "You alone can't do anything against me and my worm..."

* * *

**AN: What should I say? These people were taking their time.**


	12. Silent Promise

**Even with the delay I've been either working on this or studying. I made something, like a grid, so I don't make this too boring or rushed. Hopefully it'll work.**

**By the way, thanks to everyone who favorited this, I never thought someone would actually like it, lol.**

**Let there not be any typos.**

* * *

"What? It sounded cool." Neuren replied to the worm, which was looking at him with a disappointed expression. "Think whatever you want but you know they'll fear me with this." Was it looking at him at all?

He ignored the expressionless worm and set to work. It wasn't long until it could evolve the insanity symptom, but the cure research had already begun. It was still at zero percent, but soon it would increase, especially if more countries began working on it. He decided to check the countries. Not all of them were fully infected, and even some weren't infected at all. Greenland was one of them, because they wouldn't allow any more ships into the country, and that was the only way one could go in or out there. He didn't panic, though; he knew that the Trojan Planes would do their magic sometime; it was up to the worms to make their hosts travel there. Considering even he could travel by plane to the USA for the Apple$oft convention, he knew there had to be more planes, clandestine ones, that could travel anywhere.

He felt nausea at the memory of that plane. It was not safe and it did move more than a rollercoaster. He wondered how the pilot handled it every day.

Trying to forget that terrible day, he kept looking at the screen. South Africa was relatively safe, with no infections and closed borders. The worm was used to cold climates, hot and arid temperatures weakened it. He didn't believe that the Heat Resistance ability would be useful for anything... hopefully he could get more DNA and evolve it if the worm couldn't spread any more. He didn't care about that too much, after all only one country was working on the cure, there was no need to rush things and besides, he didn't have enough DNA for anything, except for another branch of symptoms.

"I should start thinking about this. Blindness seems interesting; being blind should be terrible for any human being." He thought out loud. "Schizophrenia, hallucinations, aneurysms, brain haemorrhage..."

He stopped suddenly when he heard a sound outside. He believed he heard a glass breaking, or something like that. Turning his head quickly towards the window, he wondered what could it be, and stood up. He walked to the window and moved the curtains; sunlight filtered into the room, blinding him. _How ironic..._ he thought, irritated. He had to blink many times until he could see what happened below him, at the street. A person was lying on the floor, unconscious, with glass shards scattered all around the floor. Following the trail the shards created, was a thin river of red blood, coming out from the person's head. All around him, several curious and horrified eyes were watching, not knowing what to do. Some were already calling either an ambulance or the police, Neuren couldn't be sure. He tried to spot the culprit, considering that wasn't an accident. He believed it wasn't, after all he couldn't remember any window or mirror there. But would someone bring a mirror and carry it all the way to wherever they were going, only to kill someone? He remembered it has been a long time since he left his apartment, so there could be things he didn't know. Still, a mirror...

An ambulance arrived first, and took the unconscious body in a stretcher. Neuren wondered if he was unconscious or dead. He seemed to be dead. For a second he thought that the culprit, if there was one, could be infected with the Neurax. The aggression symptom should be working, after all. He hoped it would be true, though he was wondering if every symptom was working at the moment. _Of course they are..._ He thought with a sigh.

He looked all around him, closing the window. Now what? He was looking at the symptoms again, resuming his job. After a while, staring blankly at the screen without thinking anything, he got bored and turned it off. A nap. That's all he needed. The calendar gave him the day: 17th December, 2017. Eight days until Christmas. He wished his gift would arrive early, but it probably wouldn't.

* * *

The worm was standing limp, inside its host's brain. Doctors were inspecting it, they wanted to take it off to examine it, but that was too dangerous and they didn't want to repeat past mistakes. The patient was wide awake, while a machine inspected him thoroughly.

"Dr. Bellerose, what happened to the worm's eggs that you took care of?" A doctor asked the microbiologist who took the Neurax's eggs.

"I disposed of them." She replied. "They were too dangerous to keep when there are other people around."

"Still, is it possible that you can take care of more eggs, and give us the worm that hatches from them?" Bellerose thought for some seconds, seizing risks and gain, but then nodded. She would take the risk in order to help the world. "And what about your discoveries?"

"Aside from the fact that the worm has an incredible drug resistance," she began, "it seems that it survives neatly in cold temperatures. But when exposed to heat, it weakens." Seeing the amazed expressions of her workmates, she continued. "Whatever you might be thinking, it dies at really high temperatures. But it can survive at the normal body temperature."

"In other words, killing the worm with heat is extremely risky, as the only way to do it is with burning the patient's brain." Though he was exaggerating, they all knew this Nigerian doctor was right at some point. His name was Keita, and he has been working in his country for some weeks. When he knew about the new discoveries about the Neurax, he returned to help with the investigation. Every doctor and scientist who was there decided to take the risk by creating a powerful drug, just because they knew every other method didn't work without worsening things. "In fact, I haven't noticed as many infections in Nigeria as I did here, but that doesn't mean our country isn't infected."

"Did your patients show any more symptoms, or less?" Derek decided to ask, hoping to get a new clue. But, the doctor shook his head.

"No. The symptoms were the same, even the aggression; barely notorious since it was on few people it was discovered."

Even with the frustration of not finding new clues, Derek couldn't help being surprised at how well some doctors spoke English so well, even if for them it would be a foreign language. Being able to speak it was a requirement to be in the meetings, and in very select cases they were given a translator. It wasn't the case with the current people but, if the disease ever got worse and they need help from more doctors, there was a possibility some translators would be in the meeting too. Derek hoped that wouldn't be the case, conversations with a translator went slowly, and above all, he didn't want the disease to worsen.

"Are we going to need rats?" The ginger young doctor spoke. He looked as inexperienced as ever, nobody ever wondered where he was from.

"Probably." The director was the first to reply, some followed him to the meeting room while others stayed behind to check on the patient. "When we make experiments, we'll have to see rats' reactions first before we move onto more animals, and then on humans."

"However, there are no confirmed cases of the disease infecting other animals." Bellerose spoke, remembering her research on PAX-12.

"Don't worry." Derek said, going to a door which led to the outside. "I have someone waiting here. She's a woman infected with PAX-12, and agreed to help our research." With a metallic screeching, Derek opened the door, and a middle-aged woman stepped in. She was younger than she looked like, but the bags under her eyes showed that she's been struggling all night with the aggressive impulses of the worm.

She walked in, wary of everyone's stares. Some took a step back, trying to be as far from her as possible.

"Dr. Thompson..." The director said, taking a step back with the others. "You know PAX-12 is extremely infectious." He put into words what everyone else was thinking, completely ignoring the tired-almost-zombie woman walking to him. "She must be quarantined if we are to work with the worm."

"We should have a room where we can keep her, in the laboratory. And we disinfect ourselves and wash our hands every time we can." He took the woman by the arm, and led her to the other end of the room, without looking at his fellow workers. "We have to do anything we can, let's believe the worm cannot kill us."

They couldn't help but staring at him, doubt filling their minds, as he walked confidently around the big table and some empty chairs. Slowly, one by one, members of the conference followed Derek to the laboratory, their steps echoing in the silence. The director eventually went too, only to supervise whatever happened there. Bellerose thought about the great opportunity to get more worm eggs.

One of the doctors who was still there looked at them, curious. She didn't ask, as she had more important research to do on the patient, who was beginning to wake up.

Derek made a silent promise to himself: before 2020, the cure would be finished.

* * *

Sharon was slumped in the sofa, watching TV while her grandmother was cooking, probably some cookies or a cake. Either way, a delicious smell filled the room, tempting her to run to the kitchen and take everything out of the oven. She was changing the channels, unable to decide what to watch. There was nothing interesting at the moment, so she had to wait patiently until the cookies, cake or whatever her grandmother was cooking was finished. But who can resist that smell and wait patiently doing nothing?

She decided to stop on the news channel. Actually, she just dropped the remote beside her, casually stopping there. Hearing the report, she couldn't help believing the world was getting even more ridiculous every second; _a goat demanding royalties from game dev_? What was that supposed to mean? Thinking too much would make her brain hurt, so when the report was over, she grabbed the remote again to turn off the TV.

However, she froze suddenly, piqued with interest in the next report.

_"Intriguing discoveries on PAX-12!"_

She instinctively placed a hand on her hair, knowing and acknowledging the worm that was there. Even she realized the growing anger it caused, and the aggression it was about to cause on her. She tried to control it, but once in a while she would fight with her pillow or slam shut doors. Whenever she calmed down, she apologized to anyone in the family, they suddenly understanding how the worm was causing her to act strange.

However...

_"Derek Thompson, the first doctor to discover PAX-12, answered a few questions for us. According to his reports and those of other doctors, PAX-12 has some unique abilities that difference it from regular diseases."_

Sharon found herself leaning closer; half expecting the reporter would spit it already.

_"From their research, it has been confirmed that PAX-12 can control human thoughts. That's right, you heard me well. Apparently, the way the worm's anatomy is, it is able to control certain parts of the brain to cause different reactions."_

Her blood almost froze from terror. Did that mean that the disgusting thing that was inside _her_ brain was controlling _her _thoughts? She couldn't completely believe it, but she knew that, at least, the aggression seen on most people was caused by the disease. Some truth was in that information, but it couldn't be true a worm could control a human, a living being far smarter than it.

The reporter kept saying about what she just thought; how the worm controlled people to make them aggressive.

_"Not just that, but it has an incredible drug and cold resistance."_ He continued. _"In fact, most African and Caribbean countries have very few infections to report. The warm temperatures of said countries can keep the worm outside their boundaries, making them relatively safe in contrast with other countries."_

"And they are selfish enough to keep people away..." Sharon found herself thinking out loud. Her grandmother's voice startled her.

"They still have people to protect, dear." She left a plate of cookies on the small table in front of Sharon. So she was making cookies after all.

"I know... but I feel this is so unfair and... I fear it." She admitted, staring at the floor.

"I know, dear. But doctors will find a cure for it, don't worry." She reassured her. "Now here, have one, they'll make you feel better." She nudged the cookie plate.

Sharon nodded, and took a bite from a cookie.

"They are delicious." She smiled faintly, and her grandmother returned the smile, sitting beside her.

* * *

Just one day before another New Year, the world was different. The streets were deserted, in absolute silence. Since the threat of PAX-12 was know, people refused to make contact with others. Not just that, but they also feared aggressive people causing discord all over the world. For the first time they were realizing how dangerous the worm was, and could be.

Inside every home, everything seemed to be normal. Outside, it could very well be a ghost town or country. Cold winds blew once in a while, adding more to the ghost surrealism. Though usually some would feel safe knowing no one was outside, people were afraid even of their own shadows; that way, even grandparents wouldn't leave their homes to see their grandchildren.

Neuren was keeping up with this new custom by keeping himself locked inside his apartment. It wasn't too hard for him, he'd done it since he began living alone. The only companion he needed was the worm, and the only one he'd get.

He glanced at the screen. _Cure: 1%,_ doctors began working on it and apparently made few discoveries. Not that it mattered, many symptoms were evolved now and that won't make it easier for them. However, things weren't easy for him either; he couldn't evolve anything right away thanks to that DNA point system, and he knew he could run out of those any minute. With so many people infected, it was obvious he would get less at some point. It was out of luck he managed to have enough to evolve until the Aggression symptom, and out of luck the worm evolved on its own. But now that so many people were infected, how would he get more DNA and keep evolving? He gulped. Surely he didn't reach the limit of the Neurax's evolution? After all, the Neurax was a limitless creature, far smarter and more dangerous than human beings.

But the fear that that was all he could do kept nagging at him. There were some people uninfected, but they wouldn't be enough when the worm had to evolve the most lethal symptoms.

Though he had nothing to fear. The plan was going smoothly, the worm was still infecting and killing people. People were killing people. Or about to, they all clung to their humanity still, and they did not dare take another person's life. His screen showed a number, the amount of people in the world; the uninfected, the infected, the ones dead because of the worm. They were changing constantly, just like the first day. Some were giving birth to a child, and others were dying of old age, a disease, a murder... With so many causes of death, Neuren wondered how they survived until now at all. And more than that, how did they manage to increase the population. He knew he was about to try the impossible: a race that survived for so long and achieved so much wisdom that it could create anything and modify the whole planet. He also knew that the noisy neighbors next door had no wisdom at all.

He decided to do some research. Most infectious and lethal diseases of history. Smallpox, Black Death, TB, Common Cold, Spanish Flu. The worm had to be better than those; achieve what other diseases couldn't. But how? Why did they fail? He knew that, now that the worm managed to spread and infect many people, there were two ways he could fail: it killing all its hosts before spreading any longer, or doctors finding the cure before it could kill everyone. The Neurax wasn't probably as infectious as a common cold; getting a cold was easier than getting PAX-12, and easier to cure a cold than PAX-12.

It was almost midnight. Usually, fireworks would be heard all over the country by now but, aside from the occasional laughter of the neighbors, only divided by a thin wall from his apartment, the world was in silence. He wanted to say something, but he didn't want anyone to hear. He stood up and stretched his stiff legs, all day he's been sitting in front of the computer unable to do anything. He walked towards the window and stared outside. From almost every building he could see lights, but the windows and curtains were closed. The wind was blowing, rustling some leaves on the street. Opening the window, a cold wind made him shiver. He didn't know if it was because it was too cold outside or because he kept himself so hidden inside that the temperature increased over the days. Either way, he kept it open for a while. The worm survives on cold places, he couldn't risk losing the progenitor.

"Well," he found himself thinking out loud, "what do we do now? I could cook a turkey or something, but I don't know how to cook. And I don't have turkeys."

Neuren and the Neurax stared at each other.

"Then I can tell you something." He saw the worm nod, and he continued. "Do you see how ghostly this place is? It's nothing like an abandoned hospital, when you know some people died there. And a mental hospital, you know the ghosts there are as aggressive as the people who died there." He sat down comfortably on the sofa and continued. "But of course, I've never been to one. An abandoned one, that is. I believe the asylum I went to is still crowded with people, it was before I escaped. I had a 'friend' there, if you want to call him that, but he must be very old now. Hopefully he didn't die; I'll introduce him to you some day."

He realized how dangerous the worm would be in a place like that. Then he guessed that the guards —or whatever those uniformed people were— kept everything clean and closed, so they wouldn't be infected. All that considering they weren't affected by the immaturity symptom.

The clock hit twelve, it was already New Year. The world was still silent, even neighbors quieted down. Their instinct was probably feeling the dread that the world could change in that 2018 year. It's been two years already, though most people believed it began less than a year ago.

Neuren made a silent promise to himself: before 2020, everyone would be killed.


	13. Ambitions of world domination

**Oh look, it's a miracle! I updated!**

**Yeah, real life was consuming all my time, but finally I managed to finish this chapter. Uhm, people usually don't care about author's notes so, here we go. (Way to kill the "horror/sci-fi" mood of this fic)**

* * *

It's been three months since New Year. Just like on that day, people refused to go outside, and very few were still walking through the street to go to work. They knew their health was more important than anything, but they had to acknowledge that they couldn't live without food or money, much less take care of a family. They knew that, if they were forced to live on the street, the risk of infection was even higher than with work. Both options had a downside, so most people made a decision by the _lesser of two evils _principle, now more than ever.

And even though most were taking the risk of attending their duties, select few people were treated with expensive and efficient drugs. Among them was the president of the United States, who was permanently being taken care by his bodyguards and a few private doctors. This way he managed to stay uninfected and away from other infected citizens.

He knew he had to do something against this disease, as it was slowly ripping off the normal lifestyle of his population, along with attempts on his safety. He was forced to contract more bodyguards for the time being, but now he feared that might not be enough.

Everything inside the room was enormous. From the red curtains at each side of the windows, the big and seemingly comfortable chair, and of course, an old wooden desk. He went to look through a window almost twice his size, where he could get a clear view of the outside. Nobody was on the street, and there were pieces of paper scattered all over. It seemed no one cleaned it for some years, though it had been only some months ago all began looking like that.

Almost instantly he spotted a man turning the corner, walking in front of his window. He looked worn out, about to collapse to the ground. The chance that he was infected was really high, and the president didn't want to risk anything by helping him. After all, he thought, there was nothing he could do.

A dog walked towards the man, looking as weary as him, soaked in dirty water. However, most stray dogs looked like that one, so it wasn't unusual. But the dog was lucky, it wasn't infected with PAX-12. The worm couldn't infect dogs—that's what the doctors said, and what everyone wanted to believe. But the question was, for how long?

The dog walked, keeping a steady pace. Apparently, it was accustomed to living on the street. But the man wasn't, and at the end he stopped, sitting with his back to the wall. The dog walked slowly past him, barely moving its ears and eyes on a sign that it acknowledged his presence.

The man whistled calling the dog, which turned around, holding its tail high. Then the man snapped his fingers twice, a second attempt to call the dog, but the animal stood where it was, either with a confused, curious or hostile expression. A few seconds later it approached, one step at a time.

"Sir!" A voice distracted him from the sight. One of the president's bodyguards was standing just on the other side of the wooden door.

"What is it?" Both men sounded calm, despite the situation the world was in.

"Smith has fallen ill." He reported, holding back a sigh and trying to keep his serious expression. "And from him, many others were infected too."

A few moments of silence followed, the president had a concerned expression. That meant most of his bodyguards were infected already, and now he was slowly being exposed to that terrible sickness.

"What about you?" He asked at least.

"I'm healthy." He said, once again keeping his expression, although his own voice betrayed the increased panic he was feeling. "But I'm the only one."

So the president was completely exposed, after all. Before long, he would be infected as well, and he would have to give away his place probably to the vice-president.

He gestured to the remaining bodyguard he had to leave.

"You can go. Make sure to check every day for traces of illness. I can't lose the last bodyguard I have." He said, walking again to the window. The other man politely said goodbye, though he believed the president wasn't listening at all. He left, closing the door behind him.

On the other side of the window, the scene changed. Or maybe it just was the same as ever, the so-called unseen and forgotten part of society. The man was now struggling with the dog, small scarlet pools were forming around them. The man's leg was badly injured, as well as the dog's back and head.

The dog aimed for the man's neck, but he shielded with his arms causing him to feel its sharp fangs on his flesh. Pushing forwards, he forced the dog to fall on its back. A mix of growling and screaming, the man repeatedly hit the dog's head, slamming it to the hard asphalt, over and over, while the dog struggled and bit the man's arm, trying to flee from his grip. Pools of blood that looked like rose petals formed all around them, then the dog let out a painful yelp. But the man had no compassion for the creature; after all, it was not infected and it never could be.

One last time, with both arms free, the man grabbed the dog's head with both hands and slammed it strongly against the floor. A dreadful cracking sound was heard, before the dog's body went cold and limp.

The man stood up and walked away, not even glancing back at the animal he cruelly murdered. Perhaps he was regretting it, perhaps he was rejoicing, but either way the wounds the dog's teeth left, without the care of a doctor, would infect, and the man would not survive. And if he did, the symptoms were too obvious. He was already infected with PAX-12. Either way, he would get his punishment.

The president turned around, there was nothing for him to do. Never in his whole life had he felt so useless. Neuren was right after all, the Neurax Worm is a limitless creature. If it was able to make a man kill a dog like that... what if it was able to make them kill other people?

He needed to rest. The only thing he had inside that massive room was a chair that, even if it looked comfortable, wasn't for sleeping.

He lay down on it, hoping to drift slowly to sleep. He placed a hand on his forehead; it's been hurting for many days now...

* * *

Derek was finally at home. It was almost two in the morning, and he has been working all day. Because his group didn't have enough funds, they research wasn't going as fast as he'd like. They were making progress, yes; but for that they had to work fourteen hours a day, and many of them wouldn't get enough sleep. Derek had to speak to his wife, telling her he wouldn't be able to spare time with her anymore. Luckily for him she understood, or maybe it was because she hoped for a cure before she was infected.

There were few people working on the cure. First and of course, there was the director, who was rather mysterious at least for all Derek knew. In fact he couldn't remember where he lived, and wouldn't dare to ask. Then there was the Nigerian doctor Keita, who was kind of compassionate with his patients. Derek remembered he managed to be there thanks to all his efforts, apparently there were other people trying to take his place in the meeting. The microbiologist Bellerose, a definite expert on microbiology. Her accent was definitely French, and probably got her place not by skills alone, but personality. Derek didn't want to think about it, and instead remembered the inexperienced ginger-haired doctor; he didn't even know his name. He was as mysterious as the director, and he wondered if that young one was even accepted in the meeting. Speaking of the unknown, there was a Dutch doctor, rather silent but really smart, though Derek didn't have many chances to speak to him. Of course, the Russian doctor Alkaev, who was probably the most experienced from that group, as he was the one who discovered the Aggression symptom and encouraged the cure research. There was a Brazilian doctor too, always willing to travel long distances if that meant progress. And at last, there was himself, Derek. He was a little amazed at the differences between those people, but he knew they all were good people, doing their best to find the cure.

Aside from them, there were some doing their own research as well; for example, many American doctors inspected different people with PAX-12. A Swedish doctor was replacing Bergström as well. However, they weren't even close to discovering the cure; they still had a long way to go, and that would be unless more countries decided to join the research. However, because many countries in Africa, North America and Asia weren't infected, they would decide to keep neutral and not help.

Derek thought for some seconds. The people working on the cure right now only do it because their own countries have been fully infected, with the possible exception of the director and Keita, whose country had very few infections overall, and the red haired doctor. As for him, England had fewer infections than USA, but he knew he had to work on the cure as well; after all, it was him who discovered the worm. He began wondering what would've happened if it weren't him who discovered the disease. Would he be working on the cure right now, to help countries that weren't his? He looked at the dark living room he was in. Doing that would mean working until two in the morning, with few to no benefits. He believed he was better than most people for working on the worm, but now he realized that he was the same as everyone else. He began wondering if Neuren thought about something similar while making those videos.

He walked through the short hallway towards his bedroom. He was more sleepy than hungry, but he suddenly stopped. At least he could eat a sandwich quickly and go to bed; if he wasn't fed then he would never get a peaceful sleep.

He went to the kitchen and turned on the TV, setting the volume low. He didn't care about what he watched, he just wanted to pay attention to something so he wouldn't fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was one of those TV novelas nobody watched, that was probably why it was aired so late. It didn't matter, at least it would keep him awake.

He quickly made a cheese sandwich. He had more food in the kitchen, but he was too lazy to get it. So he just sat down on his sofa and changed the channel. That cliche story of the guy marrying the woman was boring.

He decided to stop at the news channel. According to a note in the corner of the screen, it was an old transmission. Probably a little recent too; one or two days, maybe? Either way, nothing he could understand. _Creeper executed for destruction of virtual property._ "Poor creeper." Derek thought out loud, taking a bit of his sandwich.

_"Breaking news!"_ The unexpected shout made Derek jump and choke on the sandwich. He hated the guy on the TV for doing that.

"Ok, what is it?" He said hoarsely, before standing up to get a glass of water.

He wasn't paying too much attention, but he could hear someone was sick with a disease. Nothing important, unless that disease was PAX-12. Either way, that person was probably someone famous, and he had a whole country to save yet.

After finishing his sandwich, he turned off the TV and went to sleep, not even caring about cleaning anything.

* * *

"You have infected him!" Neuren screamed, excitedly. "The president of the United States, one of the most protected people out there with access to the most powerful drugs. How did you do that?" He looked at the worm, that didn't reply. "It doesn't matter, what's important is that people will finally recognize your power. That means..." He stood up and went to the computers, ready to check on the DNA. "...this is enough."

He realized that the costs to evolve a symptom were increasing each time, so he was forced to forget about evolve Insanity for some days. However, now he had just enough and little more, and in few hours he thought he would be able to evolve something else. At once, he evolved the worm to his most desired symptom.

"I can't wait to see how people will react to this." He said, leaning on his chair. He looked at the worm, and remembered when he first discovered it. Neuren tried to remember its size back then, but it grew gradually, so he couldn't notice it. "You are so cute, though." He began saying. "So helpless. You should thank me."

He kept watching the news. Now that the president was infected, they needed a replacement.

_"Of course, the vice-president will be the replacement."_ A reporter was saying, his expression unreadable on the camera. _"We just hope for the president's recovery, and that this event convinces more countries to join a cure research."_

"Oh, that's nice." Neuren said, as if to reply to the person on the TV. "Too bad your efforts won't be enough." He returned to the computer, not caring about the next reports. There were still some uninfected countries, apparently. He wondered, what if he evolved more transmission traits? It was lucky for him that he managed to infect so many people, but then again the Immaturity symptom probably worked more as a transmission, and some people not even caring about the disease, transmitting it without even knowing it.

Anyway, he evolved the Trojan Planes just for that specific reason. But now that he remembered, the news weren't showing those cases anymore. That is, aggression at airports, a _symptom_ of the Trojan Destroyers. Maybe they were part of normal life now? And seriously, none of those planes ever wanted to go to, like, Greenland? There weren't any airports there after all, but if he did it for the Apple$oft convention, then anyone could do it.

"Neurax, you know I can't handle waiting. Please make people go to those countries, would you?"

Of course, the Neurax Worm didn't reply.

* * *

A couple was walking through the street. The girl's name was Sophie, the boy was Jim. They recently knew about the president's disease, and about how the vice-president would take over.

"But that's nonsense!" They didn't agree with it. "That man knows nothing about countries."

"You're right." Jim nodded. "But there's nothing we can do."

For a while they both complained. However, after walking for a little while, they saw some posters in the walls of some buildings. They all pictured a person, with the words _Spalin! For 2018_. A new candidate? They both knew the vice-president had to take the president's place when they retired. However, there were some elections going on at the moment, and apparently that Spalin was one of the candidates.

And so Spalin was being known all over the country. Once in a while, propaganda would appear on the TV and newspapers, with different candidates including the vice-president. He had no other options, after all. But he wasn't going to win the way everything was going. In reality, he had very good ideas for his population, and thought about prompting doctors in working for a cure of PAX-12. However, nobody else liked the idea, lately. People were growing insane, slowly, one by one.

And with that, Spalin, whose ideas were as insane as the population, was winning the polls. For all he knew, he was thinking about world domination with USA as the capital of it. He had no ways and no resources to do it, but people were easily convinced, and they all were excited. They just wouldn't think about consequences, and they agreed with the best option the candidates offered. However, none of these were viable.

Just days later, Spalin was elected as the new president of the United States; an insane man with high ambitions. All the while, he did nothing for his country for the time being, except rejoicing on his victory and giving speeches that could have been taken off from an action or comedy movie. But everyone was infected, and everyone developed the insanity symptom. Neuren's goal was achieved; and now, everyone infected with the worm would feel what he felt his entire life. And soon enough, the asylum would be the whole country; everyone would feel what was like to be surrounded by people even more insane than oneself.

"This is just too awesome." He said, looking through the window. There was nothing there that he expected to see. "Now, will people begin killing each other?" He wondered out loud, keeping both hands behind his back. For him, that was a sign if dominance or, better said, a sign he had too much power. "I mean, if it's true they're keeping their _humanity_ by not killing anyone."

The worm didn't reply. But its whole body showed the annoyance of having those cables stuck on its body.

"Anyway," he turned around, towards the computer, "I believe I saw something interesting right here."

Sitting down on the chair, he clicked on the abilities window. There was a specific one that's been bothering him for a while, and now he had some DNA to spare, he decided to check it out.

"So, _Genetic ReShuffle_, isn't it?" He read it out loud. "Pathogen DNA strands reassembled. More work needed to develop a cure." A look of curiosity showed on his face, while he checked on the cure progress. "It's at three percent, huh. But what happens when I evolve this...?"

As he kept talking, he clicked on the Genetic ReShuffle ability. As soon as he did, the cure progress decreased to one percent almost instantly. He then realized his mistake.

"I... should've saved this for later, right? But it seems I have other reshuffles left." He glanced at the worm, hoping to see any changes. "You look the same as ever."

He stood up and went to watch TV. Probably, the doctors working on the cure would talk about this strange event resetting their research.

"Changing the Neurax's DNA to make it invulnerable to the cure..." Neuren thought in a low voice. This was a discovery for him, but he will always remember how he wasted DNA points when he needn't it. However, with how the infections were going, there was nothing to fear.

* * *

**Just for the sake of it let's pretend that the first president wasn't Obama.**

**And yeah, Spalin appears in the game. Here, I'll treat him as a guy because I've no idea of his gender. Anyway, just thought it would be fun to add something like this in the fic.**

**Aaaaand sorry for any mistakes. It's almost 6am and I felt I had to update already.**


	14. How to react

It has been several months since the outbreak began. Humanity was terrified, demanding the authorities for answers — answers they could not provide. Everything about the worm was buried in mystery, not even its origins were known. But if everyone was going to live, they would have to take action. Just for the first time, governments all around the world made their decisions, the same decision. The threat of the Neurax Worm was imminent, more infections could not be allowed. Everyone foresaw it, ever since it was revealed that the worm evolved different and more serious symptoms as time progressed. However, no human could still understand the fact that the worm controlled their behavior. They noticed an increasing stress, but most people thought it was work or studies, probably they feared acknowledging their disease, because that meant they had it.

However, that stress was the beginning of insanity. And ever since the symptom was evolved, people left serious injuries on each other every time they fought. All of them ended with broken bones, others found it hard to keep conscious during the rest of the day, so they slept for a long time. Some people had to be in the hospital for many days before they recovered. The police interrogated more people every day than they had done their entire career, and doctors had to prioritize every patient infected with PAX-12, sometimes even having to forget about incurable cases and difficult ones in order to attend those patients and understand the disease better. PAX-12 was a max priority now, because of how it was affecting the lives of uninfected people as well.

And for the specific reason of stopping the disease from spreading, by the time of July 2018, every single country had already shut their land borders. That meant people couldn't travel anywhere, and if they were infected in a country with not many resources, they could only await their deaths — considering that was Neuren's ultimate goal.

And he was the first one to feel great joy one time, when he was watching the news. The first death was announced; the Neurax Worm killed its first victim.

The name of the victim was hidden for some reason, so the reporters just gave some details from the autopsy. He had no sickness at all, except for PAX-12. Not even a cold on his last days, or any disease that couldn't be found on his body. They couldn't know exactly why he died, as there were no external or internal injuries, but they promised to continue investigating. Just after that Neuren noticed the death counter appearing for the first time... and increasing just like the Infections counter the first day.

Neuren had a few points to spare, he hadn't evolved anything for a while. He thought for a long time, just staring at the screen without even blinking, and checking every possibility. At last, he decided one that could be very convenient considering the current circumstances.

"Dopamine production stimulated to cause bouts of confusion in host. Harder to concentrate on complex work." From what he could see, that whole branch seemed to slow down the cure progress as well. Or at least it would if the doctors were infected. And even though the other symptoms were interesting too, he remembered the mistake he made by evolving Genetic ReShuffle 1 too early. "Necessary." He said determinedly, as he evolved the Confusion symptom.

Neuren realized he didn't have much more to do, unless he wanted to evolve another symptom. After all, the first ones from every branch were quite cheap, but probably not too effective. He just decided to wait for a while and watch TV. To take a break from it, he decided not to watch the news channel; he was already tired of those same old faces over and over again. And in fact, the only thing related to the worm that he had seen so far in the past few days were some countries joining the cure research.

Either way, seeing people so terrified was fun at first, but it all became boring after a while. It was like when someone moved to a building with a great view, they would enjoy it at first, and think every day about how wonderful it is, but when they spent more years on it they would get tired of seeing the same scenery every single day.

For him it was the same. He was not looking at the sea or anything like that, but something else far more wonderful: the effects of his creation, and humanity at its finest. But he already pictured all of it, and he was seeing it every day, he was getting bored of it.

That's why, when he heard a scream outside his apartment, he couldn't be less surprised.

* * *

"How's the cure going?" Quartz asked over the phone. He was talking to the director of the annual doctor meeting (though they were thinking of a change on name), questioning whether there were updates on the cure or not. After all, every day he had cases of people fighting on the street, all of them infected with PAX-12, and all of them leaving serious injuries on one another. Quartz knew already he had to keep his eyes open for anything, because if he arrived at the scene at least one minute later, someone could die. And he knew it could happen because it _did_ happen many times already.

"We're progressing smoothly." The director said. "But we're still far away from developing a working cure. I'd say we're not above twenty percent done yet."

"Can't you work faster?" Knowing the effects the worm had on the population, there was no way Quartz could remain patient. "We need it as soon as possible; people are dying!"

"And more people will die if we release it before it's done." He replied calmly. "We are doing everything we can, but many countries still refuse to work on the cure. The few people who are working on it gave up everything, and are working more than fifteen hours a day. Some don't get enough sleep but still give everything to have the cure ready. We can't work faster than that, and we still don't know if Neuren has a way to slow down our research."

Quartz understood that he was asking for a miracle, but he wanted to avoid dealing with more deaths caused by that annoying disease. He wondered why there weren't many people who wanted to work on the cure, considering everyone knew about the worm already and feared it.

"If you want us to work faster," the man continued after a short pause, "make more people join our research. If you know a doctor, or by any chance you met the president of a country, tell them to help us. Every country shut down their land borders in order to stop the disease from spreading, but that won't be enough. We can't be sure the Neurax Worm isn't inside every country by now."

"I understand." Quartz said, sighing. "I will try to stop people from killing each other as well, but I can't guarantee they will go unharmed."

"I understand that. I'm counting on you, Chief Quartz." The director said, hanging up without waiting for a reply. Quartz waited some seconds, listening to the monotone beeping sound of the phone, and did the same.

He reclined on his chair, sighing again and looking at the ceiling. When he decided to work for the police, he never thought he would have to deal with something like this. It's not that he was regretting anything, but having at least half an hour of rest a day would be nice.

He couldn't complain though, according to the director there were doctors that couldn't even sleep. He guessed he just had to do the same. But a clue of where Neuren was living would have made everything easier.

"Just where on Earth is he...?"

He stood up from his chair, deciding to set to work again. He grabbed a file that was on the desk mixed with many more files. A young woman has been missing for two days, and her family was desperately looking for her.

He read the details, written in a list. She lived with her mother, her father died quite recently. She didn't show any signs of being infected with PAX-12. According to some witnesses, he was last seen running through the street, being followed by some strangers, but no one could see their faces. Her phone was found broken way back from where she was seen, so Quartz suspected they were trying to steal something more valuable. It was unknown whether she was still alive, but he promised to look all over the country to find her. After all, her family was quite a famous one by now.

He read the victim's name. She was Pamela Bergström.

* * *

Spalin was already working as the new president of the United States. And giving speeches with his announcements was the first thing he needed to do.

"And from this day onward, I will lower all taxes for everyone!" He was saying to the microphone, staring at the elegant wooden table in front of him. That was his first time talking to a mass of people as the president, and all the luxuries he received weren't unnoticed.

Even at one time, when a reporter asked a question, he didn't hear it because he was focused on checking the chair's cushions and the wood's texture, looking at it with curiosity. It was until one of his bodyguards whispered to him that he was drawn back to reality.

"Oh yeah, taxes!" He exclaimed, ignoring the question. "I'm lowering them a ninety-four percent."

Everyone who heard that gasped, followed by many people clapping and cheering Spalin's name. To their ears, that meant they would pay ninety-four less to the government, and so receiving more money for themselves. To Spalin's ears it was the same, and it meant to him that people would be happy with his government, wouldn't complain even with the threat of the Neurax Worm, and could ensure some years more of power.

_Every single person from the United States is infected._

Rumors like that were spreading all over the world. With a president like that, no one could doubt it. And while it might not have been a hundred percent accurate, it still held some hints of truth. The amount of infections in the USA made it possible for the country to be fully infected in just a matter of days... or even hours. Even then, new symptoms of PAX-12 were being discovered every day. Regarding diseases that weren't PAX-12, most doctors had trouble figuring out which medicine to give their patients, or how to accurately operate someone. And not just doctors, but teachers, lawyers, even the police. Everyone was in a state of permanent confusion, no one knew what was what anymore. Select few were stronger than the worm and managed to keep their minds straight, but they also were feeling the sense of confusion once in a while, eventually succumbing to uneasiness and giving the worm more control over their brains.

Either way, that wasn't the end of Spalin's speech. Of course he needed to talk about the Neurax Worm; the main topic all around the world. How would he ensure his safety if he didn't do anything about it?

"Yeah yeah, the so called _Neurax Worm_." He said, when the cheers quieted down and after exchanging a few words with a bodyguard. "Of course I'm planning to do something about it. Uhm, that guy, where was he from?" One of the men in black behind him whispered to his ear. "Right, UK." He nodded. "Or so they say. But I say no!"

People began muttering to each other, clearly confused. He was claiming that Neuren, who has been proved to have some influence on the disease, was actually innocent?

"It's all because of those communists. They made this worm so we will surrender!" The mutterings continued, nobody knowing what was this new president trying to say. "Think about it. It survives in the cold. Which country is cold? Russia, of course! Russia released this worm to attack us!"

Again, more people muttering to themselves. But this time, some even voiced agreement.

"He's right!" Someone said in the crowd. From them, more people followed and said the same, with some hateful responses against the Russian country. It spread from person to person, and at the end everyone believed that Russia created the worm, forgetting about Neuren completely. They didn't need to be convinced about anything, anyone could get into their minds with the persistent Neurax Worm there.

"So I have a warning for that country." Spalin kept saying. Some people were still talking quietly to each other. "Retreat the worm and give us the cure, or I'll declare a war on you!" People cheered again, believing that the warning would truly give them the cure for PAX-12. Even a few American flags were raised.

But of course, the rest of the world could only hear the whole speech in horror.

Including Neuren, who gave everything for two years hoping he would be feared and respected by the whole world, just stared at the TV screen in dismay, his mouth half open, and blinking unevenly trying to figure out what was that president saying. _Is that the real effect of insanity...? _He couldn't even speak those words out loud.

* * *

**Yeah yeah, long time I don't update. My mind went completely blank and... I'll admit I was too lazy at times. But I still want to finish this fanfic, and I will!  
**


	15. False Kindness - Indirect way of killing

It was a cloudy day. Rain droplets were threatening to fall to the ground, and the mass of steam at the sky prevented any sunlight to fall to Earth. Everything was grey and dull; the sky was reflecting human's emotions.

She was running through the streets, almost hyperventilating. It all happened so suddenly. She decided to leave the safety of her house, only to buy food that was so precious to everyone. Now, living in a world that was surrendering to fear, getting to eat at least once a day was a difficult task even for wealthy people. It was either risk everything by going to buy something or risk more by eating small animals like pigeons and rats. The first option, at the end, was the safest.

But when she left everything was so calm, so silent. It was until she saw two men, trying to heat themselves setting fire to a barrel. The foul odor of burned trash contaminated the air, with black smoke coming out of it.

She walked past them. That scene was familiar after all; with the chaos of insanity and confusion the worm was creating, people were unable to work anymore, and were one by one being fired. All the same, people feared going outside, so they didn't go to work or even to buy anything. Factories couldn't sell as many products as they had, and firing people was necessary at the end.

As she was passing them, she could feel them staring at her back. She held back the urge to take a glance back, and kept walking. But in the pure silence, more footsteps could be heard besides hers. She walked, faster, noticing the footsteps matched her pace. Now she took a quick glance back, and started running. However, just as she did, a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist, forcing her to turn around.

One of the two men was grabbing her, while the other was trying to check on her pockets for something. Just as she felt her phone slipping, she took one chance to free from the man's grip and run away as fast as she could.

She could hear them, yelling at each other, probably one was blaming the other for letting her go. It didn't take long for them to begin their chase again. And as she was running, listening to the two men screaming to make her stop, she was silently wishing someone would help her, knowing no one would do it.

She kept running through the grey houses and buildings, hoping to find a place to hide or leave both men behind. At the end she found a dark alley in the middle of two buildings. She knew that, if she became cornered there, she would be unable to escape. But at the same time it was more likely to find a hiding place there, even if it was inside a trash can.

She took that alley. Indeed, there were some trash cans and boxes all over the place. A trash can and just next to it a pile of boxes. She decided to hide just behind the boxes, focusing on the path they created with the wall for an escape route.

As expected, the two men followed her into the alley. She concealed her breathing, so she wouldn't be heard. Staying still, she waited until she could escape while they weren't watching. Her pursuers walked, slowly, calling to her.

"Little lady... come out, we just wanna talk to you." One of them said.

_As if that would work..._ She thought, keeping a close eye on them. They were only centimeters away from her, close enough to be heard whispering.

"Where the hell is that brat..."

There was a rustling noise between the trash bags. The two men looked at them, startled, and walked forward, away from Pamela's location. She prayed a silent thanks to whoever made her escape possible (even if it was a rat), and slid through the boxes, away from the alley. As soon as she came to the streets, she ran away as fast as she could to the direction where she came from, guessing they would think she went the opposite way.

As she was running, she couldn't be sure whether they would follow her or not, and looked for a place to hide. Suddenly, she saw a door half open, and without thinking it twice she stepped in, closing the door immediately.

It took her several minutes to catch her breath. She only stood there with her back on the door, hoping nobody would try to open it, and panting heavily. After a while, she decided to look at her surroundings.

When she looked down, she almost screamed. A decaying human body was lying, unconscious, with its arm extended. On its hand, several keys. It was slowly being eaten by bacteria and worms, so it had been dead for a few months at least. She guessed that that person died before they could close the door, thus leaving it open. To her, it was strangely convenient, but she couldn't feel happy if her life was at the cost of another one.

She mumbled an apology to the air, before walking up the stairs. Everything was quiet, and she believed that, if one person died and its remains were still on the entrance, then either everyone else was dead or they left the building. She wished the latter would be the case, but that was dreaming too much.

Either way, the building was abandoned. As she walked up the stairs, she noticed there weren't many apartments there. Probably five, with another floor above. Pamela placed an ear on every door, hoping to hear any signals of life, but there was nothing. She knocked on every door. No response came.

She decided to take the stairs again, heading for the second floor. Again, five or six apartments, all silent. There were no more stairs, so not many people lived there (or were living). Every door was locked, but she wasn't sure if there were people living inside or not.

She tried opening one. As expected, it was locked. For the first time in her life she wished she could know how to force open locks.

Roaming in the room a little more, she noticed one of the doors was slightly open. _Was that one open before? _she asked herself, and walked towards it. Maybe she didn't notice it before. There shouldn't be anyone there, after all the inside was dark and the fact that the main door was open made her believe the apartment was empty. Of course, it couldn't be a ghost either.

She cautiously opened the door a bit more, and poked her head inside. After making sure nobody was there, she stepped in and closed the door behind her, only leaving it slightly open in case she became trapped.

Indeed, the room was dark. A computer was turned on, and only a dim blue light was illuminating the room. That seemed strangely familiar...

* * *

He was recovering from the shock already. After hearing what the president said, Neuren took another break from the worm. Now that the entire population of the United States believed that president, there was nothing he could do to change their minds. Targeting other countries first was his plan; after all, nobody else seemed to believe that Russia was behind it. The only reason the worm survived on cold climates was because he found it frozen inside a glacier, in Greenland. And of course, having a deadly disease survive in their climate was everything except beneficial. Considering how big the country was, Neuren felt surprised at how easily and quickly it was fully infected.

A few days had passed since then. There were some people screaming outside, and running away from something. He didn't care about that and didn't feel surprised at all, so he just turned the TV on. There was nothing else to do, after all. The worm was killing, yes; but people were taking extreme care now, and it was going slowly. It only killed people either because their body didn't accept it, or out of luck. Very bad luck. Deaths because they were killed by other infected individuals happened less often now.

On the news, there was something that was interesting to him and very convenient too.

_"Despite the government's efforts to keep it outside... for some reason, PAX-12 has reached Greenland."_ The reporter was saying almost grimly. He looked tired, only trying his best to do his job. _"Nobody knows how that happened. The only way to go in or out the country is through sea, and since the disease became more severe every day, Greenland was one of the first countries to prevent people from entering, and one of the only ones to report a healthy population."_

Neuren just looked at it, feeling slightly surprised. He was mostly happy, believing that the Trojan Planes did their magic and infected the unreachable country. However, that didn't seem to be the case, since the reporter said that Greenland was taking extreme care to see illegal flights. _Alright, announcing the Trojan Planes was not my brightest idea. _He thought.

_"The first person to have PAX-12 inside Greenland was an old scientist. He was about to retire from duty. One day he felt a sudden pain on his forehead. There were no injuries, and the doctors diagnosed him with different diseases before reaching the truth."_

"Just like the first day, alright." He wasn't sure it could be considered a mystery. The worm was frozen in Greenland, maybe others thawed out and gained the first worm's traits.

_"At the end, when the man wasn't cured with anything, a psychiatrist was the first one to notice his emotional changes, and ran some test on him. That's when they finally discovered he was infected with PAX-12. The man was quarantined immediately, but after that more cases of PAX-12 were discovered on other patients."_

Neuren jumped when he heard a sound outside. It was faint, but he believed it wasn't his imagination.

He turned off the TV and went to the door, standing there to listen. For a while there weren't any more noises, but then he could hear someone knocking on the other doors. At first he thought someone was going to visit one of his neighbors, but he heard more knocking; some louder, some fainter.

There was suddenly a knock on his door. He panicked, was someone looking for him? Maybe the police finally discovered his location? He opened his door to see, and found a figure standing with its back on him. That person didn't seem to think about leaving. He thought for a while about what he should do, and reached a conclusion. He took the risk and left the door slightly open. He turned off all the lights in the apartment, only leaving the computer on, and hid the cylinder the worm was in with a blanket.

Then, the door screeched, opening slowly, and a person stepped in.

Pamela cautiously took a step, then another, and placed a hand on the wall to find a light switch. It wasn't there.

The only source of light was coming from the computer. She felt a sudden pang of curiosity, and went to it. Maybe something was there, the unfinished work of someone or... a suicide note. She remembered her father's death with that thought, but forced it to the back of her mind. As soon as she extended her hand, a voice made her jump and look all around her.

"What are you doing here?" He spoke calmly, but with a hint of anger.

"I-I'm sorry!" She stuttered, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness, but she couldn't see the man's face. Yet, that voice sounded familiar too. "I didn't mean to intrude, I'll leave now!"

"Leave?" He said, menacingly. "I can't let you." Seeing Pamela paralyzed, he walked to the door and locked it.

"What will you do?" She asked, terrified. _I just escaped those people to run into him?! _she was about to shout, but forced her thoughts inside.

"Introduce myself." The man said, calmly. He turned on the lights, using the switch Pamela was looking for so desperately.

As soon as the lights were on, she instinctively placed her arm between her eyes and the blinding light. She took a quick glance to the man, and was surprised. _He doesn't look that bad… maybe?_

She saw him walk towards something covered in a blanket. Again, she felt curiosity; some cables seemed to be connected from the computer to whatever was inside it.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, but she shook her head. With a slight smile, he took off the blanket, revealing a cylinder with a creature inside.

Pamela gasped, and panicked. She took some steps back towards the door, but she remembered it was locked. She knew exactly what that was, but the man explained anyway.

"You probably know him, but this is the Neurax Worm." Neuren said, pointing to the worm. "And as you can guess... I'm Neuren."

She was speechless. She ran into someone worse than those two men she left behind. The one behind the deadly disease. _And I almost liked him!_

After some moments of silence, he continued.

"As I told you, I can't let you run away and call the police. That can be my end. And since I'm not a cold-blooded murderer, you'll live with me for now. And no, I won't harm you either."

Again she was speechless. But after confirming, or believing, that he wouldn't harm her, she confronted him.

"If... you didn't want me to call the police, then why not let me go instead of forcing me to stay?" She tried her best not to stutter, and swallowed.

"You saw the bodies." He replied. Apparently he regained his composure after panicking at Pamela's sudden appearance. "If you saw some dead people just lying around, you really wouldn't call the police?"

Pamela knew he was right. The place was deserted, and wanted to tell the authorities at first, even though she experienced beforehand how useless that was. Maybe it was the human instinct after all which told her to do the right thing.

"And... why keep me alive? What if I'm infected?"

"I told you, I'm not a murderer. The Neurax Worm is; I'm just helping him. Indirectly, I guess I am. I probably am. But anyway, I know you're not infected, your symptoms don't add up."

Pamela flinched. _Is this murderer claiming he's innocent?_ she wondered. He was killing people after all, maybe not with a knife or a gun, but he was definitely killing them. She tried threatening him.

"I... I am infected. I've been for a long time. You wouldn't want to be infected as well, would you?"

Neuren just smiled mockingly. Few seconds later he was laughing at her. It was a forced laugh, but he was obviously making fun of her. Pamela just stared at him, waiting for his response.

"Then why aren't you blinking? Why are you trying to be so calm and collected when it shouldn't be possible? Why are you so mature? Well... we can doubt the last symptom." He laughed again.

Pamela didn't have any comebacks. She only said that as a last resource, but she knew Neuren wouldn't allow her to escape now that she's seen him, at least not alive. She could be thankful that she was alive and unharmed, but she couldn't be sure how long it would last.

"Either way, give me your phone."

A little _huh?_ escaped from her mouth. Seeing she wasn't answering, Neuren insisted.

"Your phone, give it to me. I can't let you communicate with the outside after all."

She finally understood and, not wanting to provoke him anymore, she patted her pockets looking for it. However, she only had some cash inside them. She was frantically trying to find it, until she realized it was stolen minutes ago. However, telling Neuren she didn't have it would raise suspicion, and he wouldn't believe her.

But what other options did she have?

"I... lost it." She admitted.

He didn't seem satisfied, but only raising an eyebrow, he remained silent. His expression revealed he was going to insist.

"It's true! I lost it along the way... I'm not lying, I swear!" She had no ways to convince him other than repeating herself and hoping he would believe. It was the truth, after all, but without proof, all she could do was say the same thing over and over again.

Finally, Neuren sighed, and turned around.

"Betray me, and consider yourself infected." He threatened. Pamela nodded enthusiastically, though he couldn't see her expression anymore.

* * *

Few hours after keeping the intruder, Neuren only went to his computer. He looked at the worm, hoping it would approve his choice. In reality, he only wanted a change. Everything was boring lately, and he feared he would lose interest in his plan if that kept going. He believed that, seeing beforehand another person's reaction, he could have some more fun. The thought of her lying about the phone terrified him to some extent, but having the Neurax Worm right there and him keeping an eye on her, he believed no uninfected could try to call the police.

However, just in case, he forced her to empty her pockets. Saying he didn't take any money would be a cruel lie; as soon as she gave him everything she was carrying, he ordered a pizza. Already he had some frozen; with some food on cans and meat, but the taste of a fresh one was enticing, and something he didn't taste for a long time.

"You, go downstairs." He ordered the girl.

"What... why?" With her fear slowly leaving her, she could only reply in an annoyed voice.

"I don't want to get infected. As soon as you come here don't touch anything and take a shower. Then, maybe you can eat."

In reality, she had to admit she was starving. She didn't like taking orders from him anyway, but she could die of hunger if he decided to forbid her from eating. He was an indirect killer, as he stated, and leaving her famished was also an indirect way of killing. She only did as he ordered; maybe she could gain his trust that way.

When Neuren told her to take a shower, she believed it would be something relaxing, like taking a bath after a long day of work and stress. But the water was extremely cold, and it only increased her stress and tiredness. It helped her wake up, but she wasn't drowsy. _I can't relax here, nor let my guard down_... She believed it was some sort of sign. Focusing on the cold water, she couldn't be alone with her thoughts, and had to focus on her surroundings instead. _I will... get out of here._

The sight that welcomed her after opening the bathroom door was rather surprising. As if having to use men's clothes wasn't enough, she saw Neuren spraying something on the pizza she just brought. A cold shiver ran through her spine. To her eyes that was mostly poison; yet another indirect way of killing. She was more surprised when, as soon as he finished spraying the _poison_, he grabbed a slice of pizza, sprayed it again, and ate it.

Half eating the pizza, he finally noticed Pamela staring at him from her location, and he suppressed the laugh at her surprised expression. Without saying anything, he pointed with his index finger to the open box of pizza, and sat down on his chair, in front of the computer.

Hesitantly, she walked towards the box and took a sniff at it. He was eating and he seemed to be fine, so it couldn't be dangerous... could it?

"Excuse me..." She began, unsure.

"If you're going to say anything, don't start with those annoying _excuse me_ or _can I ask you a question?_" He said, without turning around. "It's useless, and certainly bothersome."

"I-..." She was about to apologize, but decided it would be best to ask directly. "What did you put in this food just now?"

"Disinfectant."

Pamela waited for him to keep talking, but he felt he'd said enough, and didn't continue.

"Yeah but, why?" She asked after a pause. Neuren grunted, as if he didn't want to answer such obvious questions, but he did anyway.

"To prevent infection. Do you really believe that pizza didn't have thousands to millions of worm eggs from the people that made it?"

She shivered at the thought. So that's how he managed to stay healthy... But the eggs should burn when the pizza was made, so was that necessary? Knowing what he was doing, she believed she could get information from him about the worm. Of course there would be some information he wouldn't want to share, but if she pressed enough there could be something she could use.

"It's... Neuren, right?" She began.

"Don't ask such obvious things." He said in an annoyed tone, ignoring her question.

"Well, can I ask you something?"

Hearing that, he finally turned around to face her. His expression was one of annoyance and disappointment, as if saying _I just told no not to ask that!,_ but seeing him turn around, Pamela took it as an invitation to ask, and a predisposition to answer.

"Right, why are you doing this?"

He just stared at her without changing his expression, and after a while he turned around, ignoring her.

"H-hey!"

"What?" Neuren snapped, making her flinch. He wasn't facing her, but she thought he had a menacing expression. "You're living in my house, eating my food, and living to my rules. _I_ will ask questions."

All the hope remaining was lost in an instant. After all, he wasn't going to answer. Perhaps making Neuren trust more in her would convince him?

"But why?" Even if she knew it was useless, she had to try. "Why are you doing this? What do you gain with it?"

Neuren let out an irritated sigh. When he accepted her, he didn't think she would be so noisy. Either way the question made no sense, he explained that in the video. Then again the way he explained it might've been too vague for anyone to know. But it's not like he wanted to share whatever he thought with the rest of the world.

Wanting to change the subject, he smiled faintly and signaled her to approach. Obediently, she did so, and stared at the main screen of his computer, unsure if she was supposed to look at it or at one of the other eleven monitors.

On it, a world map was displayed. Some countries were tainted red, while others were in a natural green to brown color. If it was representing reality, then did that mean there was lava on some countries, or any other red substance that covered the whole land?

On another window, the Neurax Worm symptoms. She recognized some, and almost gasped at how many they were. There were some that weren't discovered by the doctors, and while Neuren placed his cursor over them, she could see the scientific descriptions she could barely understand. But she was even more surprised when she realized that the worm could evolve even more, and each symptom was worse than the one before.

Considering how its evolution went, she was beginning to believe that Neuren was being kind, after all. There were symptoms far worse than the ones PAX-12 had so far. It could very well be a strategy too, but she decided to believe the explanation that conserved the slightest hint of human dignity and kindness from that person.

There were some bars at the bottom of the screen, too. One showing the amount of people infected, uninfected and dead; another with the cure progress. It was close to twenty percent - no, it was at twenty percent. Doctors were working quickly, symptoms weren't too harmful and people were caring a lot for their health and their beloveds' ones. Another glint of hope crossed her mind. Even if Neuren said he was trying to kill everyone, unconsciously he could be thinking otherwise. And if he didn't, humanity still had chances to live.

She looked at his face to see his expression, but he had none. Not sadness, not anger, not happiness. For some seconds he remained that way, until he spoke.

"Do you want to see something cool?"

Staring at the screen, he moved his cursor to the symptoms window. Pamela knew what he was trying to do, and she was about to witness how this man controlled the worm to his pleasure.

"Neuritic plaques deposited on grey matter significantly impact memory and learning." He read; this time both to the worm and Pamela.

"W-what?" She managed to say, clearly not understanding what it meant.

"The Neurax never asked about it."

"Because it can't talk."

He stared at her, making her flinch. She had to remember that, in her position, she couldn't provoke him.

But when she expected a threat in a menacing voice, he only replied calmly.

"He can."

"W-well, those are his symptoms after all." She decided to plat along and see where it leads. "He wouldn't ask... right?"

"Fair enough." Neuren nodded, before hearing a sigh of relief from her. "Memory Loss, that's the next symptom. You know what it means already, do you?"

She nodded, annoyed at his mocking tone.

Just then, she heard a click. The worm just evolved... to make people forget, apparently. But she was surprised at the simplicity of it; considering how terrifying it was supposed to be, the evolution wasn't a big deal. Seeing her expression, Neuren spoke.

"What were you expecting? The fun part comes _after_ evolving." He let out a laugh, and stood there smiling.

Under the echo of his laugh, Pamela decided it was time to try. She was there, in front of Neuren and the deadly Neurax Worm, inside a hidden abandoned apartment filled with dead corpses. She could not let this chance slip, she had to convince him to stop the plague and help the cure research; anything.

"Do you really think this is fun?" She confronted.

"Yeah, it really is."

"But... don't you think there are better things out there that you're missing just because you're here? Or don't you think there are some great people dying because of that disease? You could even be friends with them."

"What, are you counseling me now?" He joked, but then his expression was serious when he added. "Out there is my creation. By missing everything I get to live, and kill. By killing people I achieve happiness and I fulfill my role."

"But-"

"And you cannot convince me." He interrupted, foreseeing what she would say.

Pamela kept silent for a moment, and feeling satisfied, Neuren turned to his computer again.

She decided to give up for now, but she was determined to find out more about this mysterious person. _I'm doing it for that disease..._ she silently repeated, but she knew her increasing heartbeats and the warm sensation inside her stomach was not out of fear alone. _I can't... he's a murderer, he's a murderer._ Her thoughts were conflicting and confusing. However, her resolve was clear: she would try to stop the plague, with help or by herself.

* * *

**Longer episode for the lulz. Whenever I'm alone thinking about this fic or any other fic, something random like this comes up. I also come up with like five endings. I was about to split this one in two when I finished, but then thought it was meaningless so the chapter now has a "dual-name"-like name.**

**Oh well, good evening o/**


	16. It can reply

The cold was chilling her bones to the core. Was it winter already? She didn't even know. Her roommate liked to keep the place as cold as possible, to keep their other "roommate" comfortable.

The worm didn't move; it just lay there, ominously still. Neuren was just staring at his computer, occasionally tapping a key and looking at the worm, as if he could understand what it was thinking. Then suddenly, he stood up, yawning, and turned on the TV. He mumbled something inaudible, probably not even he knew what he said, and sat down on the sofa.

"What are you watching?" Pamela dared to ask. She didn't know how many hours passed since she became involved in that situation, however at least she was beginning to feel safe. Ironically, that place seemed safer than the world outside, filled with disease, fear and irrational violence. Though he was dangerous, she was feeling safer with Neuren and the worm than in her home with her family.

"The news. They're still working and once in a while they show me something useful or interesting for or about the worm."

Pamela realized that Neuren was being more talkative than usual. The first time, he'd been cautious about what kind of information he shared with her, but now he answered most of her questions without hesitating. Maybe he needed someone to talk to; after all the only living being aside from him inside the apartment was the worm, and a worm couldn't talk, at least not in human language and even less English.

But while wondering about that, something like a flashback crossed her mind. Once, before Neuren showed her how he evolved symptoms, he'd said something that made her blood freeze.

_"He can."_ The worm could talk. Anatomically, it would be impossible for it to speak. Considering Neuren was an intelligent doctor, or whatever he was, that should be a fact for him, yet he was still living a fairytale in which his _creation_, the Neurax Worm, could talk.

Or maybe, he knew it was impossible, but decided to believe. He had no one else to talk to, after all. But now, since he was being kind of talkative, she decided to ask directly.

"Neuren... before, you'd said that the worm could talk, right?" She stuttered a bit, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, so?"

"Is that true?"

He didn't speak, only nodded, indifferent.

"But, it's impossible!"

"It's not." He replied calmly, standing up and facing her. The difference in height suddenly became more notorious to her. He walked towards the worm and gently stroked the cylinder. "He's not a normal worm; this is not a normal disease. From the first day, I've been hearing his voice."

Long moments of silence followed. She didn't know what to say; he seemed to truly believe that the worm spoke to him. She wondered if there had been a time in which he realized it couldn't speak.

"I can't... I can't hear it." She said, cautiously. Neuren just looked at her.

"How can you not? He's speaking clearly."

"And... what is he saying?"

"He's not saying anything." He sighed and went to the TV again. "He's sleeping right now; it's been a long day. Oh! Look at that."

He pointed towards the screen, and on it, there was a reporter in South Africa. Apparently he was interviewing some people there, while others at the studio were translating what he was saying. Of course, they couldn't go there, since they prevented any infected people to go there in case of infection.

_"That was an extreme but necessary measure. Today, the victims' acquaintances will give them one last farewell."_ There was an obvious delay on the reporter's mouth and the words that were coming out.

"What's that about?" Pamela asked, but Neuren silenced her and signaled her to listen. There was a cruel smile on his face that made her shiver slightly.

_"Over there,"_ the reporter pointed towards a graveyard, _"we can see where the bodies will be buried after they are inspected. If there are no signs of living worms inside their brains, they will proceed to give them a proper burial."_

"Proper burial? What bodies?"

"They are desperate." Neuren replied, still smiling. "They want to stop the worm from spreading, no matter what."

"But what happened? Were those PAX-12 victims?"

Neuren winced at the mention of PAX-12. He despised the name the doctors had given the worm, but he knew everyone else refused to believe he was controlling the disease, so they kept with the name that Derek has given it. It was a small intent of resistance, or possibly to annoy Neuren and he knew it was working, every time he heard that name.

"Listen closely." He prompted.

_"And that's why the government decided that five people infected were executed to stop infections."_

"What?!" Pamela yelled. Neuren turned his head left and right as if expecting someone to come out at any minute, but when he remembered that there was no one to hear he settled down.

"Now you see how everyone fears my creation. Enough to kill their own population to save the rest."

"But doesn't that mean..." she began, unsure whether to continue or not. Swallowing, she added. "...that the worm won't infect that country?"

"You don't know the true abilities of the worm." He chuckled. "You remember the Trojan Destroyers?"

She remembered a bit of that, in fact. That was mentioned in his first video, but since it was only shown once, there wasn't much she could remember.

"Manipulation of dopamine transporters results in a form of ADHD which encourages hosts to fly to a target country." He recited. Seeing Pamela's confused expression, he explained. "That means Neurax manipulates its hosts to make them fly to wherever they want."

"Aerial transportation is shut off." She pointed out, but of course, she knew that wasn't enough to stop the worm from spreading.

"So?" As expected, he knew that as well. "Do you remember the Apple$oft convention two years ago?"

"The big announcement? I remember it from the news."

"Well..." _was it on the news?_ Neuren thought, remembering that he missed it when he was there. "I got there, travelling inside a... clandestine plane." He felt the usual nausea that overwhelmed him whenever he remembered.

"Clandestine? Isn't that dangerous?" She sounded worried, but even before Neuren spoke she understood what it meant.

"Yes, but who cares when you're being controlled. Even if they killed some people, there will be someone, an outsider, who'll bring the disease into the country again."

Against a disease that mind-controlled people, there was no way to counter. All hope rested on the shoulders of the uninfected... and that included her. She had to understand it better; the worm, the computer that controlled it. But with his eyes inspecting her every movement, that wasn't easy.

"Can you tell me something?" As soon as she asked that, Neuren looked at her again with an annoyed expression. She understood why, so she countered quickly. "I didn't ask if I could ask a question, I asked if you would answer if I did."

He sighed heavily, and nodded.

"Alright. Depends of the question."

"Can you tell me more about the worm?"

"Why me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Foreseeing she wouldn't understand, he added. "Why not ask him?" He pointed with his chin towards the worm. Pamela turned to look at it, then at Neuren again. She was about to tell him that the worm couldn't speak, but she knew he wouldn't believe.

"I don't think he likes me..." At the end she would have to play along.

"I don't like you either." Neuren replied coldly.

"Yes, but... I feel it's easier to talk to you, I mean... I never spoke to a worm and..." A sigh interrupted her.

"I found it frozen and I decided to help him infect the world. Happy now?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, but forced herself to calm down when she continued. "I mean... tell me in more detail, please?"

He sat there in silence for some moments. Yes, she was too noisy for him.

"Remember you decided to keep me here against my will, I need to know what's going on."

"That's what happens when you kidnap someone. Though you should feel lucky I didn't kill you."

Pamela still couldn't give up. Some kind of information she needed as soon as possible.

"Alright, what about you? Can you tell me more about yourself?" She asked gently, hoping she would get to him that way.

"What do you want to know? I'm a genius and I'm not a doctor. I won't give you that many information."

"And about the computer? How do you control the worm?"

"I already showed you how."

Even though he was being talkative lately, he still didn't want to share personal information or anything about the worm. Maybe he already knew she wanted it to try to stop him, and decided to keep silent.

"And why don't you stop the plague? You've got what you wanted, people are dying, and you can even negotiate with the police to get anything you want."

"I've been doing this for almost two years; do you think I'd stop so easily? Besides, I can't stop it. Only doctors can, and even their efforts won't be enough." At the end it was useless. Neuren was too into his own little world, and wouldn't trust anyone outside it. "Though, there's nothing I want from them. I shouldn't accept anything from those leftovers."

"Leftovers?"

"Leftovers of humanity. That's all they are."

* * *

Quartz was exhausted already. He only worked for two hours, and many more awaited him. But they were ridiculously long and tiresome; he didn't have energy for anything else. As soon as he was at the precinct, he slumped into his chair.

He was only lucky that he hadn't been infected yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He kept taking the doctors' advice to prevent infection, but they warned him that it would be only a temporary solution, and as soon as his body became weak he would be infected instantly. With so much to do daily, that day was not far away and after all, his family was already sick with it. He noticed from the first day, when his sons challenged him every time. Their mother was probably infected as well.

Since they were separated, he thought that his ex wife probably told them something and they reacted badly towards him. However, he took another of the doctor's advice: _always look into their eyes; infected won't let you._ Since they blinked so much, it was difficult to see their eyes clearly, or that's what the doctor probably meant. It wasn't necessary to talk in riddles, but he didn't question it, it was a good easy-to-remember advice.

When he looked into their eyes, he realized they were infected and that they were only reacting to the worm's symptoms. He told them that, and their angered expression changed to one of sorrow. They had noticed it too.

Quartz shook his head. That wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

He knew his team was out there interrogating doctors. He'd lost so many already; they were working slower than usual. What they were investigating: Neuren's whereabouts. There was no way to know where he was, already some hackers tried to track him down but they came with nothing, except some fake addresses. His information was well-protected, so there was a high chance he had an accomplice. And since they already interrogated many hackers, they moved onto the doctors; one of them ought to know at least something to help with his investigation.

Quartz read some of the files in front of him. It was as if Neuren never existed in the first place. No one knew anything about him, not more than what the police knew.

He sighed. There wasn't much time left, if he was about to be infected as well. All his attempts were for nothing, not even the director from the annual doctor meeting knew when and if the cure would be finished. _There must be something he wants..._ he thought. He had no ways to contact Neuren, which made things more difficult. But if it was true that he was controlling the plague, it would be possible to convince him to stop evolving any more deadly symptoms until the cure was ready. However that was based on the fact that the video was real, and not even that was clear. In fact, it was even possible that Neuren was being blackmailed by the real culprits, and they were looking for the wrong person. Even if that wasn't completely convincing, he couldn't rule out any possibility. After all, it wasn't possible for a person alone to create a pathogen and modify its DNA without anyone noticing, and it didn't make sense that he would record a video only to announce himself.

The phone rang suddenly, making Quartz jump slightly. _Another victim_, he thought. The place was so silent that the sound echoed through the entire room. He missed seeing the busy officers running through the place, and even the not-so-busy people that were just watching funny videos on the internet.

And on the phone it was just another robbery case. Someone was being assaulted on the street, and though some witnesses were seeing them, instead of taking action they called the police. Well, he couldn't blame them anyway. He hung up, took his coat, his gun and ran to the door. On the way he saw one of the officers. He slowed down, seeing the apologetic expression on his face. He returned the same expression; they understood how tired everyone was with just a glance. And they all noticed how few people they had working. Quartz was known from having a bad temper; he didn't show any fear in letting everyone know when he felt angry. However, even those days were far behind. He couldn't get mad at anyone, not only because the situation was beyond their control, but because they shared the same grief from their fallen teammates.

Leaving the officer behind, Quartz got into the car. The bright side of everything was that the streets were so deserted that he could get anywhere quickly, even skipping a few norms. But if that kept going, they would have to force people to stay inside their homes until the cure was ready. However, what if they began killing themselves? Or killing people inside their homes?

"There's no time for that." Quartz told himself. "I will stop this damned plague once and for all..." He made a silent promise to himself. Neuren would be killed, by Quartz's own hands.

On the way, he began wondering. What could he do to stop the plague? Carrying out his job wasn't working apparently. But he wondered; were there other ways to stop a disease from spreading? Everything now rested on the hands of the doctors, and the fact that they could finish the cure before it's too late. But… he knew there was another way to do it.

The plague would stop if the worm killed everyone.

Of course, at first thought that was nonsense, or obvious. If the worm killed the world, then the plague would end, fulfilling Neuren's wish. However, he had said he was planning to be the last human on Earth, and die of old age, not from the disease. He already knew that, if everyone else died before he could be infected, he would be safe until his time.

So, if the Neurax Worm's hosts died before they could infect any more people, the plague would stop.

He sighed. There was no way that could happen. That would mean they had to kill infected to save themselves, and that was just too cruel for him. He would have to kill his family to live. How many infected were there? Surely more than a million, even ten million. How could anyone kill ten million of people?

However insane that may sound, he was sure that it wasn't long before governments decided that.

* * *

**Do you know that time when you think that September is the last month of the year and the "Christmas year"? (Just in case, I'm talking about a mistake I didn't even notice from EP12)**

**This is one of those, what I like to call, "transition episodes" or fillers because why not (actually 'cause I need some episode for something else to happen).**

**Anyway, time skips are cool. I love time skips.**


	17. At the edge

"It's November already!" Spalin was giving a speech. It was a cloudy day, but many people believed it was contamination rather than rain what made the sky look so grey.

Some people were at the street, listening to the speech. Very few stayed at home and watched TV, since they feared what the infected could do to them.

"So I have a few words or two for those Russians!" He was yelling, as if the country would hear his voice in the distance.

_"A few words or two." _Someone from the crowd at the front line whispered mockingly, loud enough to be heard by many people around.

"We all know," he began, ignoring the taunt, "that Russia is the ones controlling the plague. And I say no more! There's one last warning for them. We're at... uh..." He looked at his wristwatch and frowned, he didn't find what he was looking for. Then one of his bodyguards did the same and whispered to him. "Right! November, somewhere around the tenth of November, right? It's been like a year since this disease began, so if you Russians don't stop before the first of January of 2019, United States of America will declare war on you!"

* * *

Derek was the first to mention it on the meeting. They all knew they had to work faster on the cure, in order to stop that nonsense, and stop the effects of insanity the worm was causing. Luckily, there were even more doctors by now. As Derek had feared the first time, there were some translators as well. At this time he didn't even care, he knew they all had to work together, but if they could speak fluent English he knew they could communicate faster.

He snapped into reality when a doctor raised a syringe to the height of his eyes for everyone to see. It had a transparent red liquid inside. He was explaining what that was for.

"Yesterday night, a few doctors and I kept researching after you left. I apologize for doing it without authorization, and I take all responsibility for our actions, but this is what we managed to do." He placed it carefully on the table and addressed everyone around him. "Do we have rats?"

Naturally, they had some rats stored. By now they were breeding them; they probably had a whole colony of rats inside the lab. Someone, who looked more like an assistant than a doctor, went through a door and he returned few moments later with a small cardboard box. Inside it, the rat was trying to claw its way out, and poking out its little nose through some holes.

The assistant placed the box in front of the doctor and gave him a pair of strong gloves. Nobody moved a muscle; they were waiting expectantly to the results of a night's work. The doctor grabbed the rat by the scruff of its neck, and it wriggled trying to break free. The gloves luckily protected his hands from the vicious bites it was giving. They didn't have any sedatives at that time, and they didn't want to wait for the rat to wake up to see the results either. He injected a bit of the red liquid into the rat, who squeaked frantically. When he was done, he ordered someone next to him to put alcohol into the rat, and they let it go. Usually, tests were run on the lab, but they had already decided to take every risk possible if that meant progress. In fact, nobody from the meeting had been infected, and they wanted to create a cure before they could be. After all, they also feared it, and they were committed to the population.

The rat ran away as soon as the doctor let it go, but it didn't have many places to hide, or any way to jump down from the table. Running frantically through the table, dodging everyone's arms and occasionally trying to bite someone, everyone remained silent until they could see the effects of the drug. When everyone thought that it wasn't working, the rat collapsed in front of the director.

He was as expressionless as ever, not even showing disappointment, happiness or anger. In contrast with everyone else, since they all expected to make a new discovery with that drug. The doctor who presented it, with the ones who helped, where the ones that looked more downhearted. Even if he didn't want to give his comrades away, their only expression did it.

"But, it's not over yet!" Derek spoke in the silence. "We all knew it wouldn't work, but that doesn't mean it's useless. We know what doesn't work already. In fact, we haven't checked whether it kills the worm or not."

Murmurs of agreement rose through the room, as if everyone just remembered that fact.

"Derek's right!" Alkaev said, supporting the English doctor. "The rat isn't even dead yet. Maybe it's only painful, but if it's to kill the disease, people will endure it. And we have plenty of time, if we make Spalin wait before he attacks my country." Alkaev was the one that was shocked the most after hearing the news. He knew he was lucky that he stayed with the doctors, but he didn't want innocent people from his country to die only because he wasn't capable of creating the cure in time. As desperate as he felt, he kept the composure and thought about things coldly, as he always did.

Few more people, including Bellerose and a few surgeons, took the unmoving rat to inspect it, and disappeared behind the lab's door.

Meanwhile, the others began discussing other possibilities. Trying desperately for a cure with no leads wasn't the best of ideas, so the first goal was to search and find a clue. And there was only one thing they could think about.

"We have to find Patient Zero." A Dutch doctor had said. Everyone looked at him, clearly interested. "We might find something if we search for the first worm."

"Neuren has the first worm." Keita pointed out. "We don't know yet if it's going to help our research."

"It's worth a try."

They both stared at the director, hoping for his approval. He didn't say anything, only nodded, showing his agreement. He wasn't the kind of person who participates actively in a debate, only gave his approval for certain researches. Of course, one must be especially intelligent to be the director, but he worked silently so far, a few times helping others with their experiments. Derek couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't scheming anything behind the scenes, or concealing relevant information about the worm that could be a breakthrough in their research. He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, and only pray that the director wasn't testing them at the cost of thousands of lives.

* * *

"Doctors have begun their search for Patient Zero. With this, they hope to find something more about PAX-12 and accelerate their cure research." A reporter was saying, his tone neutral but his face revealing the faint glimmer of hope he was feeling. "If someone can contribute with any kind of information, contact a doctor from the following list..."

"Oh, do you hear this?" Neuren told the worm, unaware of Pamela's confused gaze. She thought he was talking to her. "They're looking for your first infection. I remember that pair of girls, so naive..."

Pamela looked at him. She already knew how he believed the worm could speak, but she wasn't sure it was a joke or not. But something more important than that was the fact they were looking for the first infected: Patient Zero.

Pamela clenched her fists. It was so frustrating being able to know everything and know nothing. And it was not only that Neuren was concealing information, but that whenever she got something, she realized she couldn't share it with anyone. Just now, he mentioned _a pair of girls_; if she could get that information to a doctor, they would have a lead. It was excluding every male patient, and it decreased numbers by a lot. Not just that, it was a young pair, so two sisters, or friends?

Her teeth were clattering. She needed to give that bit of valuable information to someone, but she lost her phone and Neuren was right in front of the one he used, so reaching it was impossible. Sending a piece of paper didn't work either, the windows were all locked and there was no one on the street to receive a note anyway. The air was heavy, sometimes it was difficult to breathe. Air only came from small windows in places she couldn't reach, even one at the ceiling, in the bathroom.

It's been a full day. She had expected to attack Neuren while he slept, but it wasn't possible. There was one bedroom in the apartment, and Neuren never used it. Instead he slept on the couch, next to the worm. The place was dark, silent, and surprisingly clean. Obviously, if he didn't want to be sick, he would clean and disinfect everywhere. Instead, she had to sleep in his bed, locked. _The nicest kidnapper..._ she thought, restraining a laugh.

Being so close to the Neurax, Pamela felt uneasy, but surprised at the fact that Neuren didn't fear the worm. Highly infectious but vulnerable inside the cylinder; she knew that, as soon as it broke, Neuren would be infected... and she too. It would be a lie to say she didn't fear being mind-controlled by something nonhuman. But she knew he feared that too, even if he didn't show it.

Considering that, there was a way to stop infections or at least, infect the culprit. He would stop the plague... _No, wait_ she thought. Thinking it would stop so easily was another naive thinking; Neuren would die with everyone else. Besides, he'd already say he couldn't stop the plague, she didn't know why yet.

"You said you can't stop the plague." The easiest way to know was to ask. It usually didn't work, but considering he wanted her to stop being so annoying, maybe he would to make things clear at once.

"You saw how the worm evolves, right?" He said, foreseeing the question. Without turning around from the computer, he added. "Look."

She cautiously approached him, without taking her eyes off the screen. The cursor was pointing towards a red bar at the bottom left of the screen, but she wasn't sure she was supposed to look at it. Above the bar, the letters "DNA" were written.

"That... DNA?" She asked when she got next to him.

"The DNA system is what helps the worm evolve." He began explaining. He stopped for a few seconds, thoughtful, unsure he should reveal so much information. "Well..." he continued. "He gets DNA infecting or killing people, or infecting a new country. If I have enough DNA points, I can evolve a symptom or something else. I can also devolve them with this system."

"Then why don't you do that?" Pamela interrupted, getting bored with the explanation.

"Shut up and listen. I don't have enough DNA to devolve many symptoms, so if you want the plague to stop, many people will have to die."

She understood that, but it was frustrating too. That meant that, even there, she wouldn't be able to stop him. She could only try to prevent any more evolutions, but even that could be futile at the end.

* * *

"If someone can contribute with any kind of information, contact a doctor from the following list..."

"Mom, do you hear this?"

Sharon was sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of coffee -already cold- and watching the TV. Her mother was cooking the dinner, and they were the only ones inside that massive house.

Her mom rushed into the living room and sat beside her daughter. Her blinking revealed she was infected as well.

"Yes. But I still don't believe you are the first one who got it." She spoke calmly, but worried.

"If I'm not, I'll find out." Sharon stood up from the seat and began walking towards the door, not even caring she couldn't drive. Her mom stood up as well and began following her, calling her name, and surprised at her rushed decision.

Sharon had a look of determination on her face. Even if the sky was grey, a few rays from the sun where showing behind the clouds.

"Are you sure about this?" Her mom asked, sitting in the driver's seat. "What if it's not you and it's all for nothing?"

"And what if I am? I'd like to know at least."

Her mother was unsure about it. She knew how clean Sharon was, she educated her that way. She barely got any diseases, so magically developing the worm just didn't make any sense. However she seemed convinced _because_ she was never sick. And because of that, she felt extremely guilty. Not only her family; the entire world could be sick with the worm because she couldn't care enough for her health. At least that was her version of the events. She began to drive, trying to remember the way.

Sharon remembered a conversation she had with her best friend, Caroline. At the moment, she wished she was close by, supporting her. But she would have to stick with talking to her over the computer. It was a cold method of communication, but at least Caroline was alive, and that's all that mattered to her.

Just the day before, they were talking. They were trying to talk as they normally would, about people they met or anything, but none of them could fake a smile, and just were sincere with each other. They were both giving the news as they were.

"I'm sorry about that, Sharon. Your grandparents were amazing people." Caroline said, sadly. They were so kind to her when they accepted her into the house that Caroline had to share her friend's grief.

"I know." Sharon sighed. "But they were old and not as lively as they used to be. It was inevitable." She faced away from the camera and the screen, trying not to feel sad about it.

"Well... uhm..." Caroline stuttered, unsure if she should ask what she was thinking. She decided not to, as the words wouldn't come out. However, Sharon already guessed it.

"You want to know who else died?" She looked at the screen again, regaining her natural expression.

"Actually... who is with you right now."

"Living?"

Caroline made a pause before answering. She admired her friend for her ability to be calm in that kind of situation. Maybe that wasn't the case, but whatever she was feeling, she wouldn't show it.

"Yeah..." She admitted at last.

"Only my mom."

_Everyone else is dead..._ Caroline couldn't help to think, but of course she couldn't say it out loud. She didn't want to keep talking about the subject, but Sharon kept talking.

"My brother died yesterday. You remember him, he was quite shocked when he found out you were going to leave." Sharon began, as if telling a depressing story. Caroline remembered him, he was a rather shy person, but he was kind. She actually thought the entire family was nice, since they were raised the same way. "There was something he was planning to tell you." Sharon went on. "But I didn't realize until he was in... well, that bed."

"Did he say something?"

"Well, only that he wished you never left. I couldn't hear anything else."

Caroline seemed downhearted. Probably because she was curious about what he said, or because she wanted a romantic love declaration from him. She didn't seem interested in Sharon's brother though, but that didn't mean she couldn't be. In Sharon's mind, that was what was happening at least. Before knowing her friend would return to America, she would have liked to try and pair them. She wasn't a jealous sister after all, and she knew her brother needed someone in who he could trust completely. But when she realized he was alone until the end, she felt a warm tear falling through her cheek.

When she came back to reality, she saw a big building next to her. The car was parked right at the entrance. Sharon was amazed; it was a white building with a few windows, but the construction wasn't like a house or a normal building with many apartments. It was, in fact, like a hospital. It was a pity it seemed so abandoned like the rest of the world, considering there were healthy people inside.

Sharon walked through the garden. It also seemed abandoned, like a graveyard. The grass was a dull green, as if it hasn't been watered in a long time. However, closer to the building, the color was brighter and prettier, with some bushes all around. It looked as if it only rained in that specific area, or as if someone throws water from the windows periodically only to stay safe inside.

The large glass doors were looked with a chain from the inside. There was a button on the wall, more like a plate with many buttons, next to the door. Few moments after she pushed one randomly, a voice spoke.

"Who is that?"

Sharon looked at her mother. She only stared back, prompting her to talk. She then turned to where she thought the voice was coming from.

"I'm..." She began, hesitantly. "...Patient Zero."

There was silence. It lasted for so long that Sharon was about to talk again, just to be sure someone was actually on the other side. But before she could do so, the voice answered.

"Wait there. We'll open the doors."

There was another sound, as if someone just hung up a phone and silence again.

"Do you want me to go with you?" The woman asked gently. Sharon shook her head.

"I might stay here for some days. I think you need to rest."

Her mother didn't complain any further. She too struggled with the worm's aggression, she often feared she would harm her daughter, and the bags under her eyes showed she needed to sleep. Sharon was feeling the same, since it was actually her mother the one who could control the disease better than her.

After a while, they heard the clinging sound of keys. A man in a coat was standing behind the door. He was wearing a chinstrap. To Sharon, it was weird seeing someone being so careful with their health when they were with her. It was as if she was the disease itself.

She went in, after saying goodbye to her mother, and followed the doctor. He was giving her some instructions.

"First we'll go to a room where some machines will disinfect you."

Sharon felt downhearted again. She knew that was necessary, since hope relied on the doctors being uninfected, but it really felt everyone was avoiding making contact with her.

"Just relax and stay still. Then we can see whether you were the first victim or not."

"What, do you think I'm lying?!" She snapped suddenly. The doctor stared at her evenly, not even blinking.

"Calm down." He warned. "Those are the effects of the disease. You must learn to control it."

Sharon realized that, and began taking deep breaths in order to cool down._ It can't control me... it can't control me... _she chanted to herself. The worm was doing what it was meant to do, and that only thought terrified her.

"Alright. Go into that room." The doctor pointed to one room with glass door. They opened automatically, or maybe the doctor pressed some button to open them, she couldn't be sure. It was mostly empty, with aquamarine green and white walls. Next to it, a room that looked exactly the same, and its doors were open as well. The doctor was walking towards it.

"Are you going there too?" Sharon asked, calmer this time.

"It's the rules." He shrugged. "When you're done, take one of the chinstraps from that table and follow me."

This time she didn't think about it. Complaining wouldn't solve anything, and it was her decision to come here. So she only did as instructed, silently.

* * *

When she entered the room, she was amazed. It was so big that it seemed it could hold every doctor in the world. There were many more doors on the walls, all of them with plaques, but being so far away she couldn't read them.

The first one to approach her was a middle-aged doctor. She recognized his face almost instantly.

"Dr. Thompson!" She yelled excitedly. At first she feared she would face a lot of strangers who saw her as an object for tests, so she was really happy when she saw a familiar face in the crowd, as she recognized him as a very kind doctor.

"Miss, I'm glad you came to us." However, meeting so many people through his entire career meant forgetting some faces. Derek had so much to think about that he didn't recognize Sharon at all. She cleared his doubts when she introduced herself to the other doctors, but Derek couldn't be sure whether she did that for everyone else or for him.

"My name is Sharon Roth." She began nervously, after clearing her throat. "I'm nineteen years old. Dr. Thompson inspected me a few years ago and confirmed I had PAX-12, and I'm the first confirmed victim of it. I believe I'm the first one who got it."

"Any reasons you believe that?" A doctor said, with a Portuguese accent. He was actually Brazilian, his name was Luan Carvalho, he was in charge of reporting important events to other countries, and while listening to Sharon, his gaze was fixed on the notepad on the table.

"Well..." That caught her off guard. She explained her reasons to Caroline and her mother, but here they seemed less likely. "I take care of my health. It's impossible I become infected with anything, yet I have the worm, and I'm the first confirmed."

The doctor didn't say anything, he just kept scribbling on his notepad resting his head on his left hand. Nobody else spoke for a few minutes, until she suddenly heard two voices. One was in a language she didn't recognize, while the other was in English. _A translator..._ she thought.

"We have nothing to lose. If we run tests on her we'll know the truth." The translator said, repeating in English what the other said.

Everyone else seemed to agree. Derek approached Sharon, since he knew she would trust more in him than in some strangers. Then she escorted her to one of the doors, one that said "laboratory (for general inspection)". She followed without resistance, clearing her mind.

She thought that the tests would be painful, but luckily that wasn't the case. They took some blood samples and several scanning of her brain, nothing out of the ordinary. The scans showed anomalies of course, but Derek was the first to notice something.

"These results..." he whispered, "they are the same from that lady."

They ran some tests on an infected woman to discover more about the worm. It was a success, but it wasn't enough. Many more people had the same results and reactions, and Derek, as well as most doctors, was sure that the effects would be different if they faced the first person infected. However, in Sharon's case, it was all the same. Unless their theory was wrong, that could only mean that she wasn't Patient Zero after all, and their search would have to continue.

* * *

"What can you tell me from the outside world?" Neuren said suddenly, making Pamela jump and stare at him with a surprised expression. He didn't look back at her, only waited for her answer.

"W-What do you mean?" She faintly stuttered, but she was able to control it.

"You seem really fond of it. Why do you like it so much?"

He was staring intensely at the _Cure Progress_ bar. It was at twenty-six percent. Maybe he was wondering why humanity was struggling so much only to survive, or make future generations survive. Pamela knew there was no way he could understand her, or everyone else's reasons, but this was her chance to speak truthfully to him.

"It is filled with violence." She began, her tone serious. "Many bad people steal and kill really good people. They hurt little innocent children for reasons nobody can understand." Neuren looked at her, his expression indecipherable.

"It deserves to die." He interrupted with a single phrase. However, he was surprised when Pamela gave a slight grin, looking down as if chuckling.

"It doesn't." She said, looking back at him. "Because, even if those terrible people exist, there are amazing people who do anything to help others. For example, those doctors trying to find a cure for... the Neurax Worm." She was about to name the disease as _PAX-12_, but she didn't want him to get angry in that moment.

"That's not enough." He replied lowly, glancing back at the screen.

"Is it not? You can know many people; family, friends... there are good people out there."

"That's a lie." He frowned, clearly unhappy and not afraid to show it.

"What about me?"

"Extremely noisy."

"And your family?"

"Would I be here if I thought well about them?" He countered. Pamela understood that his parents probably abandoned him, so he was feeling resentment towards them.

"But you're not the first person abandoned by their parents..." she covered her mouth suddenly, not sure whether she should have said that. He didn't seem to care though.

"It's worse than abandonment." He said, looking at his arm, covered by a black sleeve. "And I'm not normal, everyone established that already."

He rolled up his sleeve, and looking at his bare arm, he placed a finger on top of a single short line on his skin. It seemed to be a very old scar, but it was so small that nobody could consider it painful.

Pamela only stared at him, her whole body heating and a colony of butterflies inside her stomach. She shook her head violently; she couldn't have any feelings for him, but she really believed he was a good-looking person. Out of curiosity she decided to ask.

"Uhm... how did you get that scar?"

Neuren instinctively covered it with his palm, and looked at her. He didn't want to answer, just as he didn't want to answer any of her questions. Long moments of silence followed, Pamela only had a look of curiosity while Neuren was suspicious. He sighed at last, believing he could give her only a bit of information.

"Back at the... school, a student brought a sharp object and attacked some. I just was close by."

She didn't fail to notice his sudden hesitation before saying the word _school_. Something told her there was something he was not telling her... maybe only common sense, since he never shared anything with her. But deep inside, she knew there was something important and he was lying to some extent. She didn't press him though; she already gave up that option.

Instead, Pamela sat silently on the sofa, watching the TV. Search for Patient Zero wasn't going well. A pang of frustration surged within her; once again she was reminded of how she was unable to communicate with the outside. She looked at Neuren, he was talking alone. No, he was talking to the worm, making a few pauses as if waiting for the other to speak. He seemed... surprisingly happy. The infections made him happy, happier than how he was before finding the worm. Maybe creating the disease was the best for him, but Pamela wished there had been a different way to make him happy without killing half of the population.

There was nothing. They were at the edge. The edge of a war, the edge of a cure, the edge of a discovery. The cold shiver down her spine warned her: she too was at the edge, the edge of death.

* * *

**Hm... it's been three weeks, I think I'm doing good with times. Though stuff happened, now I'm even more busy. But that doesn't matter, I was thinking about changing the fanfic's title sometime. It's like I have at least two titles for every chapter, but none for the whole fic... lol. Bottom line: ideas are welcome. Good night!**

**(pleasetellmeIgottherightwords)**


	18. Flow with the current

The streets were deserted. Leaves had fallen to the floor, nobody had time to clean. Dust was being collected in small piles by nature, then blown away by the wind. And in this ghost town, some people appeared.

_Anarchy._ That was the best word to describe the world. People were marching against the government, yelling, filling the empty spaces and the deserted streets. Others at home were watching, afraid to go out.

Trash cans where thrown at stores, with alarms sounding all around. Some people where fighting with each other, between themselves, even if they were walking with the same objective.

The police suddenly got there. They were wearing helmets and carrying guns; if people became aggressive they had permission to shoot. Many uniformed men went to the furious crowd, trying to stop them from creating more havoc. But, being so numerous, the population didn't show any fear in going against them, considering they could be killed so easily. Maybe those were the effects of the worm, the small creature that desired to kill. It was meant to do it, it evolved to do that. Neuren created the worm that way, and it was only following orders and instinct. How could one blame such an innocent living being?

The police walked forward. Other people were busy taking away valuable objects from stores. Those people used to be kind, with happy families and stable jobs. Some people occasionally stopped, and looked all around them, confused. The memory loss symptom was taking effect, and everyone was unaware of it. Not knowing how to react, they only followed the current; what everyone else was doing, they copied it.

Someone, a teenager boy, faced a policeman, who was staring at the enraged boy evenly, ready to defend if the other decided to attack. He was sure he was going to, eventually.

The boy stared at the man with demon eyes, breathing unevenly. And, without warning, he jumped at the man, trying to strangle him. The policeman had orders; he could shoot but not kill. However the Neurax created a regression to primitive ways, when men only relied on their instincts to survive. He wanted to kill, only to live, even disobeying orders.

Eventually, some people left the safety of their homes to take action. If someone were to look at the scene from a distance, they would be surprised. Some people from the crowd were woman, but that wasn't it. Some were pregnant. They forgot completely about their babies, and stood to face the authorities. Or one could say they did it to protect their future.

Many people died, mostly normal citizens than police. A few from the enraged crowd had guns that they bought illegally, just in case a robber entered their house in the middle of the night and they had to defend their families. Right now, just like in a war, they were being used to kill, to defeat the enemy and claim victory on their dead body. Gunshots were heard all around; the city has become a battlefield.

But as the furious crowd couldn't get past the security barrier, they finally understood they had to retreat before they were killed. Nobody could tell if they were trying to live, or if it was the worm. Eventually, everything ended; the street was deserted again.

* * *

It's been three days already. Pamela got used to the terrible taste of the food, and Neuren seemed to get used to her company. When Pamela asked a question, he would usually answer without hesitation, and she didn't fear him that much anymore. Of course, not everything had changed. Pamela still shivered when she saw him smile at some terrible news on the TV, and Neuren still was reluctant to tell her more vital and personal information. He realized that he sometimes could be carried away and tells her more than he intended. Pamela took every chance to get to know him better; even though she desired to share what she knew with the rest of the world, she had to acknowledge it wouldn't be easy. Instead, she decided to approach him in a different way, try to convince him to become a better person.

"What exactly are you?" She asked casually. "You told me you aren't a doctor."

"That's right." He nodded. "I'm a microbiologist, if you could call it that way."

"But aren't you too young?"

She didn't know his exact age, but she was sure he wasn't a year above thirty. Probably in his late twenties, but it's been many years since the worm began infecting people. Pamela decided to ask him about that later.

"Yeah, you could say that." He didn't take his eyes off the screen when he spoke. "College recognized me as a genius, and they decided to let me do some practices with a professional team. I was twenty two, twenty three, the second middle of my career." He spoke as if he was feeling proud of his achievement, as if working early meant being better than everyone else. "Of course, they paid good money. I managed to save a lot."

Pamela realized that was probably the reason he could buy food without working. She kept listening.

"Well... I made some things that made my boss angry, apparently. Taking stuff from countries to study isn't _their style_ or something like that." He repeated the words mockingly, using two fingers to signal quotation marks. A hint of resent was on his voice.

"I see..." she said, falling silent. She was discovering more about him than she expected, and she was amazed at him. Even if he was insane, he was incredibly smart; he could've used his abilities for the best, but the world had a different path for him, and he decided to take it.

There was silence for several minutes, Pamela wasn't sure what to say and Neuren was too focused on whatever he was doing, though he was only staring at the screen, without tapping any keys.

"Snowflakes!" He shrieked suddenly, in the silence. Pamela jumped, surprised, as his sudden scream.

Neuren stood up from where he was and went, almost running, to the kitchen. He opened the freezer, and took several small bags with a white, cold substance inside. He placed all of them on the table, much to Pamela's confusion. The room was already cold, but he closed the windows nevertheless and turned on the fan. The girl shivered from the cold, but he didn't seem to notice. From a box on the floor, he grabbed a microscope, and placed it on the table. Then he took a spoon, and a piece of glass. He put the glass under the microscope's lens, and with the spoon, he took a bit of the white substance and placed it on top of the glass.

"What is that?" Pamela dared to ask. To her, that was only a random succession of events.

"Snow!" He replied excitedly, without looking at her. "I forgot to examine it, that's what I wanted to do until I found the worm."

Pamela didn't know whether to laugh or leave. She decided to giggle. She wasn't used to seeing him so happy over something so childish.

He looked through the lens to the pile of snowflakes. Water was dripping from the glass; the snow was melting. He didn't seem to care, as he only kept staring at the snow as if he was about to make a big discovery. Then, he signaled for her to come and see.

She stood up from the couch and walked towards him. Seeing her approaching, Neuren moved away a little from the microscope to let her see.

When she saw from the lens... she saw nothing. Only a patch of fuzzy white. She didn't understand what was so good about it; at least she expected to see a bunch of beautiful snowflakes piled up together, but instead she got nothing.

"What's so special about this?" She asked, leaning away from the lens. "I can't see anything."

"How can you not? It's so clear!" _Yeah, too clear._ She thought to herself, before he spoke again. "Two snowflakes are never alike, but apparently they get different shapes in different countries. I placed a bit of snow from every country into this bag, and now I can see it clearly!" While speaking, his eyes never moved away from the microscope.

Pamela decided to look at the snow closely, without the microscope. It was mostly melted, and it seemed impossible that it was actually showing anything. She then stared at the microscope, trying not to disturb the man who was so happily discovering something new. However, she was surprised when she saw a slight line, like a scar, on its surface. It was cracked slightly. Out of curiosity she decided to look at the small glass at the bottom. The glass was there in its rightful place, and it didn't seem like it had ever moved. However, it was shattered. It was a spiral of cracks that somehow managed to keep still, but just a bit of force could break it completely. It was extremely fragile in that condition, and of course, it couldn't show anything if someone were to look at it from the other side. But Neuren was so into it, his eyes were reflecting his excitement, and he knew it was real. _He is hallucinating._ Pamela decided to tell him; maybe he could actually change his microscope and inspect the snow correctly, before it melted completely.

"I think this is broken." She said, cautiously. She didn't know how to deal with someone who was hallucinating, and she had to be careful on that terrain.

"Yeah, that crack is old. Don't mind it." He replied casually, but it seemed he didn't understand completely.

"No, I mean... the glass, I think it's shattered."

"Huh?" He exclaimed, looking at her confused. She only pointed to the other end of the microscope, prompting him to look. He was shivering a little, but he obeyed.

He carefully took the glass with the snow on it, and placed it on the table. Then, he took the microscope and turned it upside down. There was a faint sound, like someone stepping on a broken window. He didn't seem to notice. He frowned, and looked at her. Knowing he wouldn't speak, Pamela decided to do it first.

"Now you see? It's bro-..."

"It's not broken." He interrupted, his expression revealing he wasn't joking. "Why are you lying?"

Pamela shivered. The glass was missing, she could see from her position that only a few shards remained.

"I'm not lying! Why are you so blind?" If he was about to question everything, she decided to do the same.

However, he didn't reply, only put the microscope in its place and continued looking at the snow, which already melted completely. _What a waste..._ she thought. If he hadn't been so stubborn, he could have actually found something real. She sighed, relaxing her shoulders, and turned around to return to her place. He wasn't going to listen after all, but he wasn't doing any harm, believing he actually got something.

But there was something that made her uneasy. The environment was tense, and the air so heavy it was difficult to breathe. She didn't move, hearing or feeling someone breathing behind her. Pamela turned around again to face Neuren. And when she did, she saw that he was walking towards her, and that they were close.

She wanted to exclaim, ask what he was doing. Before she could do so, he extended a slow but determined hand to her, and moved it to the right of her neck. She wasn't shocked, only confused, thus she didn't move and only stared, moving only her eyes. He was expressionless when he did the same with his other hand. Slowly, he placed them both on the girl's neck. She realized what he was about to do a little too late, when she felt him putting more pressure on his hands.

It was even more difficult to breathe, and now she could barely move. Her body was paralyzed in terror. His strength cornered her to the wall. She was being strangled, and there was nothing she could do to defend herself. She only looked pleadingly to him, but his expression had changed. It was one of anger, and his teeth were clattering. Even his breathing was fast and uneven. But his hands never moved from their position, only closed more tightly.

She tried to swallow, but her saliva wouldn't go down her throat. She felt she was drooling. She placed her hands on his arms, trying to take them away. She felt the tension on the muscles instantly, and she was too weak to move them away. Her mind went blank, eyes staring in every direction, and any ideas slipped from her as soon as they came. Her consciousness was slowly drifting away from her corporeal existence; the world before her eyes was turning to black.

Neuren was shaking, but he held a firm grip. To them, every minute was a century. He finally felt her body tremble with convulsions, and the grip on her hands faded. Her arms fell besides her body. He noticed it, her soul leaving her body forever, passing through him and giving him a cold shiver. Or maybe it was only the sudden realization that he just murdered someone with his own bare hands. When he realized this, when his brain finished processing what he just did, he trailed his eyes from his arms to his hands, and to what was at the end of them: a dead body, that only a few moments ago was alive and walking around.

He let go at once, and the body fell by pure gravity to the floor, with its back to the wall. Neuren was breathing heavily, shaking violently, and backed a few steps. Before, he had said that he wasn't a murderer, that he was only helping the Neurax Worm and it wasn't because of him that people were dying. He had never seen someone die in front of him, and even though he'd seen many things in the asylum, nothing was as close as death... and he knew that it didn't make any sense, he was closer to death than anyone else.

A smile showed on his face. He was grinning, and then he laughed. His body was still shivering uncontrollably, but he seemed happy. His eyes avoided looking at the dead body, as if he feared it. When he finally calmed down, his expression had changed, as if he was a different person.

"Alright, you go to sleep." He spoke to someone. "I only hope you don't bother me later when you wake up."

He turned around to his computer desk. Next to it there was a drawer. He opened it and took a small camera. He felt he had to record another video, now that Pamela was _asleep_ and he hadn't done it in a long time.

* * *

"Number of victims today?"

"Five as far as we know, sir."

Quartz took a bit of smoke from his cigarette. He sighed, gray smoke coming out from his mouth and nose. He placed a hand on his forehead, knowing something was there. He hadn't told his men about it, so they wouldn't be worried. Nobody could avoid the worm; its eggs were so small, almost microscopic, that it was impossible to see them flying through the air.

"What about the victim's families?"

"They were notified and are under care." The officer saluted his chief, who nodded, giving him permission to leave.

Quartz was lost in thought. A few days ago, he had seen in the newspaper that there had been a violent march in many countries. United States wasn't one of them, and it worried him that it was because everyone believed in their insane leader was right to attack another country. Russia was among the countries whose population decided to go against the government, and it probably was Spalin's influence too. But because of those people, there were "terrorist" attacks all over the city. He didn't like using the word terrorist, since the perpetrators used to be the victims. Many more lives were being lost by the minute, and now he realized he couldn't feel glad that the numbers of victims were low; there shouldn't be any deaths at all.

He was drawn back to reality when an officer spoke.

"Sir, it's... another video."

_Another?_ Quartz thought to himself. It's been a while since he saw one, and he even believed that Neuren died from the disease, proving he was lying.

"Play it for me." He instructed.

"Yes sir!" The officer placed a laptop on his chief's desk. The video was loaded, but since it was on full screen he couldn't see in which server it was submitted. To him it wasn't important anyway. The officer waited until many others gathered around the computer, they all were expectant to get more news. The officer hit play at once.

"Greetings, world!" Neuren spoke cheerfully, as if the whole situation amused him. But what caught Quartz's attention was the blue light, now showing a bit more of his face, as if he didn't care about showing himself to the world right now. Maybe he was... regretting everything? That was dreaming too much. Maybe only a careless mistake. But the light was enough to see the corners of his lips, curving into a smile.

"You." He turned around to an officer quickly. "See if you can investigate about this, maybe we can know his face."

"Yes sir!" He wasn't expecting much though, it was still impossible to look at him clearly.

"How are you enjoying your disease?" Neuren said in the video. His voice was shaky for a bit. "The Neurax Worm right here wants to tell you something." There was a pause; an officer even moved the cursor around to see if the video was still playing. The seconds kept increasing, and it took him a long time before speaking again. "Great speech. Now, I see there's a new president in United States that doesn't believe in me. Even though a war could be good for my objective, I've decided that the worm will be the only murderer in this world."

Quartz pondered those words for some moments. He was saying Spalin should stop the war? It wasn't possible that he suddenly changed his ideas.

"Spalin, do whatever you want. But you can always remember that Neuren is your enemy." Maybe he only wanted to be famous. "Anyway, there was also anarchy in countries like... Spain? Russia?"

"How does he know all this?" Quartz asked out loud. Someone who was behind him answered, after pausing the video.

"Every piece of information he has is shown on the news. Maybe he keeps a close eye on everything."

"Then..." An idea crossed his mind. "We have to tell reporters to stop working."

"But, sir... that would mean many people would lose their jobs." Someone asked, sounding concerned.

"I understand the risks." He replied, sighing. "I know it's not for us to decide but we have to do anything."

Some officers muttered between themselves. Quartz decided to ignore them, and once again hit the play button.

"The funny thing is," Neuren continued. His head tilted slightly, "that it wasn't caused by the worm. Maybe a little... but it was all done by human conscience." There was a pause, as if he was thinking carefully about his next words, and he faced the ceiling. "What else..." he muttered, almost inaudible. "Have I spoken about Patient Zero?" Though it wasn't seen in the video, he looked at the worm. Finally deciding what to talk about, his voice grew louder. "I feel like I should tell you that, the way the worm is evolving, cure research will be more and more difficult." His tone was neutral, instead of mocking. "So it doesn't matter how much you struggle, you won't get it in time." There was another thoughtful pause. "You can say it's... God's will."

"God's will?" Quartz repeated, between confused, angered and terrified. That was thinking too high of himself, but it wasn't too far from reality. He was, in a sense, controlling the life and death of every human alive.

"Well, I'm a man of science." Neuren continued. "I don't say that I believe in God. Maybe it's only natural selection? Or my choices that never fail? Something is driving you towards extinction. Why not flow with the current, instead of going against it?"

There was silence for some seconds, and then the video ended. Everyone took a few moments to process it, after being confused by his parting words. They stood there thinking silently; about how easy it would be to flow with the current.

* * *

A lady was sitting comfortably on her sofa, staring at a fireplace. She was around fifty-to-sixty years old, but PAX-12 has driven her to the verge of death. She managed to survive enough to spend a good time with everyone, family and friends, but now was waiting silently for her end. She wasn't regretting anything; it's been a good life. Her husband sadly died before her, but she was happy she could see him again in the future, somewhere unknown.

She was closing her eyes, falling asleep. The phone ringed suddenly, making her jump. She wasn't expecting any calls, and had made sure she spoke with everyone she knew before returning home.

Slowly, weakened by age and illness, she stood up. The phone was resting on a wooden round table, so small it could only support one object.

"Coming." She said in a hoarse voice, even knowing the person on the other side wouldn't listen. She only did it out of habit. She picked it up and placed it on her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello..." She was sure she heard that voice before; it caused a feeling of uneasiness. She felt she could calm down a bit when he continued. "...mother."

* * *

**I've been waiting so long to write this.**


	19. When it knocks on the door

"Oh, it's you." The woman replied to the voice. "I spoke to you yesterday." The voice was quiet for some seconds, only letting out a slight exclamation of confusion. "You're Edward, aren't you?" The lady responded, knowing the other was confused.

_Edward..._ the man on the other side knew that name. That was his younger brother, about four years younger than him. Maybe their voices were similar in some way, but he couldn't remember. The man sighed; he already knew the lady wasn't expecting his call.

"No, I'm not Edward." He muttered.

The woman felt it before, a sense of unease crawling beneath her skin, tearing her flesh apart. She confronted his son Edward about it once, how his voice was so similar to that of a man the world knew too well. She was so glad to know she was wrong.

"So, are you going to say that you're Neuren?" Her voice didn't show any fear, only challenge. To her, at the verge of death, there was nothing to fear. However, that feeling of unease wouldn't go away. A word that calmed her before now was distressing her, _'mother'_.

"Exactly! How did you know?" He seemed to be speaking sarcastically, but the question was sincere.

"Why are you calling me?" Before replying, she wanted to clear her doubts.

"Oh, I always desired to do it. Is it wrong to call my mother?"

"It is suspicious to call now." She remembered how she never spoke with her older son for a long time, and how he never bothered to do that as well. "What are you seeking?"

"Revenge." He spoke the word without faltering. "You are sick with it, aren't you?"

By _it_, she knew he was referring to PAX-12, the disease that killed her husband and was knocking on the door, waiting for her.

She only gave a deep sigh. Neuren wasn't expecting that kind of calm reaction, and when facing something that didn't go according to his plans, he would always feel a bit nervous.

"Why bother? If I'm sick, you must know I'm dying."

Neuren clicked his tongue. Another unexpected event. So many people were surviving; he didn't think his mother wasn't one of them. He planned the whole conversation beforehand, but not even that was going according to the plan. He would have to improvise, and he always hated it.

"Then..." He made a pause, thinking. "Can you tell me more about the family? I'm curious to know what happened with them."

"What are you scheming now, Logan?"

He flinched at the mention of that name. Long moments of uncomfortable silence continued. He couldn't remember the last time he's been called by his real name; he even made sure to create a fake ID every time he had to work. If someone knew it, they could track him down and take him to the asylum again, and he didn't want that. Whenever he heard it, he couldn't feel it as his own name, but as the name of someone else controlling his body. He hoped his mother also forgot about it, but he soon realized that that was getting his hopes up. She would try to deny _Neuren_ and, probably, accept _Logan_. Even if he threatened her, he knew she was stubborn enough to ignore her children's demands, especially a change of name. But it's been many years for both of them, and now they looked more like a couple of strangers than close family.

"Neuren." He spoke at last, so quietly she almost didn't hear it. It was hinted with faint sorrow, it was unusual in his voice. "That's my name now."

"Stop that. It's like the time when you thought you didn't have any names. Who's giving you those ideas now?" She spoke fiercely, ignoring his tone. She heard him clearing his throat, and then he replied more confidently now.

"What, do you prefer to be Logan's mother, the Logan who created the Neurax Worm?"

"Alright. What are you scheming?"

"I just want to know how they are." He said, almost innocently. "How is Edward, now that you spoke about him?"

She was feeling suspicious that he was asking about his brother, but she decided to go with it. As long as she didn't give away any personal information, it would be fine.

"He graduated." She began. "He's living in another country now."

"Oh really?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "Which one?"

"I..." She hesitated for a bit, and then spoke firmly. "I won't tell you."

"Oh, come on! I'm his brother, I should know."

The woman didn't reply. She knew she couldn't be open with him, not only because he was mentally unstable but also because he was claiming to be Neuren, the one who made an enemy in every person, alive and dead, and created the Neurax Worm. She also knew he wouldn't give any information about it, in case she was recording the conversation or someone was spying.

"You aren't being open with me, mother." He broke the silence after a while. His voice didn't show any emotions, but his words showed contempt and resentment. He knew that the family was being fairly known because of his siblings and cousins' achievements, and both his mother and his aunts were earning money for their accomplishments. He also knew that he was an imperfection.

"How could I be? Do you even remember them?"

The conversation with his mother reminded him of the times before meeting the worm; times before going to the hospital, when everything was better. He overheard the conversation his parents had once, when he was eleven. He went to some psychiatrists, but he didn't know why.

"How did you know about my condition? That I had something?" He changed the subject suddenly. It's been something he's been wondering for a while.

"You weren't normal. For a firstborn, you were smarter than your classmates, that's true. But you couldn't think logically, many things you did didn't make any sense."

"For example?" He prompted after another short pause.

"Thinking that ice at different temperatures can change. And trying it." He remembered that. They used to get mad at him for getting the whole floor wet only for experiments he couldn't make. Since he was unable to try it, he bought a microscope after some years. He couldn't discover anything new, so instead he went to try with snowflakes. He thought it wasn't an excuse to send him to someone, but apparently she wasn't finished. "The image of our family was being tainted by you."

"Oh yeah? And what if someone discovered that Neuren is your son?" He threatened, but he knew he couldn't do that. That would mean giving away his identity, and could get him arrested. She seemed to know that too, since her only reply was a mocking laugh.

* * *

"What do you mean I'm not?!" Sharon yelled, surprised and angered. Not at the doctors but at herself; she was so sure that she was Patient Zero that, even before the test were done; she confirmed it on her mind.

But if she wasn't the person they were looking for, then her very existence was useless, and she could die with everyone else without achieving anything or helping in any way.

"I apologize." Derek spoke gently, like he would do with any patient. The other doctors decided to leave that job to him, since from the group he was the best at comforting people. "But you were only the first person who came here. We're currently investigating, so I'm sure we'll get to them sooner or later." He spoke with such optimism and cheerfulness that Sharon couldn't help to smile slightly. "Besides, what you did was remarkable. Even if you're not, you still helped us to work on the cure. Thanks to you we might get it in time."

She didn't fail to notice how he said _might_ instead of _will_. Even this optimistic doctor was having doubts of his own about how fast they could have the cure ready. But he always hid that feeling, and kept going. He sure didn't seem to be giving up yet.

Sharon looked around. Everyone was working on something, she couldn't be sure what. This was the first time she saw people working in a laboratory, and it was all so confusing. Some had bags under their eyes, and would yawn very often. They were tired, since they only got few hours of sleep a day.

At least, she thought, people weren't killing each other like before. They were being kept in their houses at night, unable to get out and cause harm. Some people were violent, of course, but not many deaths have been reported since the day when anarchists decided to go against the government in many countries.

"Luan, what are you doing?" Derek interrupted her thoughts. She looked at him quickly, and turned around to face the other doctor, Luan. He was heading towards the main entrance with a suitcase, and twitched at the mention of his name.

"I'm leaving." He said without stopping. He was always very silent, and his English was tinted with his Brazilian accent. Sharon was amazed at how different people were, yet for the first time they all were working for the same objective. Such a shame Spalin would try to get into a war.

"Where to?" This time he stopped and faced the older doctor.

"Other countries. Some people are working in other places too, and they want to exchange information and discoveries." He made a short pause, looking towards the door. "I'm taking Kazuki with me."

"Who's Kazuki?" Sharon whispered as Luan walked away.

"He's a translator from Japan. Apparently he knows many languages, so it would be easier for them to communicate with others."

She stood there for some moments, staring at the door. Derek already turned around and walked towards the lab door. Then someone, a woman, patted her on the shoulder, making her jump.

"Oh, hello, miss Bellerose." She said respectfully. To Sharon, this woman let out an aura of superiority and elegance, like a queen. If she was desperate about the disease, she never showed it. Her composure was admirable.

"Miss Sharon. I see Thompson brought you the news already."

She sighed heavily, nodding. At least she had less weight on her shoulders, but she would have loved to help them as much as possible.

"Our search for Patient Zero continued even after you came." She went on, her words surprising Sharon.

"So you already knew it wasn't me?"

"Of course not. But better safe than sorry."

The girl didn't know what to feel. She could be sure that they didn't lose that much time in seeing who she was, at least; but she wondered why this woman was talking to her in the first place. Bellerose read that from her expression.

"But you can still help us, if you have any ideas."

"Ideas?" She echoed, not understanding. _Does she want me to think about something scientific?_

"Who Patient Zero is." She explained. "Do you have any family or friends who could have any symptoms before anyone else?"

Sharon fell silent and thought. She knew what this woman was asking of her, but who knows when the plague began. If it was a long time ago, before people knew that the Neurax Worm existed, it's possible that she didn't notice at all.

At the end she shook her head, signaling she didn't have any leads.

"I see..." Bellerose sighed, but then brightened again. "What about a method of infection? Think about two, three years ago, did any of your acquaintances experience anything out of the ordinary?"

Something ringed in Sharon's mind, as if she knew the answer to her question. She had it in the tip of her tongue, but couldn't get it out. She knew that, with that answer, she could help the doctors who were sleep deprived only to save others. She thought about the moments she spoke with her best friend over the computer. When they had to live together for some time. Sharon paced back and forth in the middle of the room, nervous. She _had_ to remember.

"There was a time..." she began, almost without knowing, as if her mind was speaking without her permission. "We were in the airport."

"We?" Bellerose prompted, interested.

"My best friend and I. Waiting for my grandparents." Another pause followed, she continued to think. Her whole body was shivering, because she didn't want to know the truth. "A stranger approached us, carrying a bottle. The man told us about a beverage. It should be done already, but it isn't." She stopped suddenly, understanding the situation. And when she did, she couldn't help sobbing before she sentenced. "Caroline is Patient Zero."

* * *

"So, what's the matter?" A middle-aged man asked, adjusting his glasses. He readied his pen and notepad, ready to write what his patient told him.

"Nothing." A boy spoke with a childish voice. He wouldn't be a year above eleven, and he looked quite normal to the naked eye.

The man raised an eyebrow. He was an expert, and this boy's parents knew there was something strange. It was unbelievably enough that they accepted it.

"What are you feeling now?" The man asked, the pen stoking the paper neatly.

"Boredom."

"And why do you think you're here?"

"I dunno."

Both of them spoke naturally, in a serious tone, as if the kid too was inspecting the man. He was a psychiatrist, and he had tried some methods to this patient already. The kid wasn't cooperative, but at least he would answer some questions, even if it was with a word or two.

"What's your family name?"

"I dunno."

He always noticed how the kid never referred to his family name, as if he was an orphan living alone. Interviewing the whole family, the man discovered that they didn't have a bad relationship. In fact, he got along really well with his brother and sister, his grades were excellent for a child his age, and he would be quite social to strangers. But lately he was undergoing a change. The teachers were the first to notice, whenever he encouraged his classmates to do dangerous activities like leaving school early going home alone, or crossing a fence towards other houses. The psychiatrist thought it could be a _slight insanity_ or even _borderline personality disorder_, but before he could make such claim he had to be sure.

He would have liked to fix the problem at the kid's early age, but without his cooperation and more notorious symptoms it would be too difficult.

"This condition doesn't seem to have a cure." He explained when he confronted the kid's parents. "And even though you might not notice now, he might have serious anger control problems."

"What can we do?" The woman asked, almost pleading but trying to control her dignified image.

"You can send him to me when he becomes a bit older, then we can see what to do."

"We can't afford to have everyone looking at us and saying we have a weird kid." It was the man who spoke, holding her wife's shoulder. She looked at him for a second, then turned to face the psychiatrist, and nodded in agreement.

"Alright..." He sighed deeply, and walked towards a drawer, taking out a small folded paper from there. He handed it to the older man. "This asylum offers help and education to the mentally unstable. If you pay, he'll have food and a bed." He made a short pause to let them read the paper. "But I'm not sure that's what he wants."

"And I didn't want it." Neuren said, after his mother told him the story.

"But we did. Do you know how much pressure we had? I had to choose between you or my other children." He stood thinking for a moment. He wasn't going to forgive her, his fist were tightly clenched and he was about to snap at any minute. He was about to reply when she continued. "Ah, I'm feeling tired."

It took him some moments to process her words. At first he thought she just wanted to end the conversation there and be off the hook.

"We're not done yet!" He finally snapped, but she only spoke calmly.

"When it knocks on the door, I'll be dead."

He heard another sound, like something falling. _Was that the phone?_ he thought. After calling her name for some time, he realized that she was already dead. Clicking his tongue, he hung up the phone and sat down on a chair.

"It's not like I got that much information..." He told the worm. "Nor revenge. It's frustrating." It had been so fast that he didn't have time to do anything. She overcame any attack he tried to make.

He sighed and stood up, heading towards the kitchen. He saw that the door to his room was closed. _Bergström's daughter must be sleeping,_ he thought quickly. All that talking was making his throat get dry, and he needed water to quench that thirst.

"What should I do now?" He murmured in the silence. Small drops of water were dripping from the faucet, and he remembered how that sound used to make people insane in some movies.

Drinking the water in few gulps, he proceeded to wash the glass. He remembered the conversation with his mother, and how she didn't sound pleased at all to know about him.

"I should meet him..." He thought at last. "That guy, my old friend."

* * *

**Well then, another chapter after a long time. Yes, I know, and I apologize for that. If it weren't illegal in ffnet I would've posted a note or something. I've been quite busy anyway, and in the times I wasn't I didn't have any more ideas to keep writing and make this interesting. I think I rewrote this two times or so, now I might get more free time for this.  
**

**But anyway, thanks everyone for your reviews and these last favorites. Have a nice day!**


	20. One Last Infection

A clear sky stood over gray rooftops. Tall buildings could be seen in the distance, dead trees shaking with the wind. The streets, deserted. A perfect representation of heaven and hell, right in earth.

The dusk breeze was warm, getting ready for a cold night. And there was only one person outside to feel the gentle touch of the wind.

He was walking, wearing a chinstrap and a tight coat; his body soaked in disinfectant and covered, he wasn't going to let sickness overcome him. He walked forward, eyes gleaming with determination.

* * *

No human was guarding the entrance, instead the heavy walls and pointy bars where doing their jobs. And beyond them, a gray garden with dried plants and mushrooms. He padded onwards, easily finding the door. But he wasn't sure how to open it.

A skinny guard passed through. His eyes were exhausted, while inside his body a little creature extended its tendrils by every cavity of his brain, extending them day by day.

The man smiled. Everything was going according to the plan. Everyone was under the worm's control, and by extension, under his.

Both the man and the guard saw each other directly. As fragile as he was, the guard held his gaze sternly, signaling that he wasn't going to let him pass, whatever might happen.

The man gave a resentful glance at the guard; under his chinstrap, a malicious smile. There was only one patrolling the place.

"I've come to find a friend."

The guard didn't reply, just narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Then, he shook his head, rapidly. Something flashed on his mind, almost erasing it. He stepped back, opening the door. The worm confused him, and sleep deprivation made it even worse.

Neuren walked forward, his eyes giving a quick glance to the man. He didn't want that infected person anywhere near him.

The place was exactly as he remembered it. Stone walls, many floors, cracked windows, thick undergrowth. Filled with the painful moans of sick residents.

The front door was unlocked; with those bars and the _garden_, it wasn't necessary. Inside, the lights were already on, but more bars were blocking the entrance to a dark corridor. Someone was inside, an old man with a gray moustache that seemed to have many years of experience dealing with the patients entrusted to him. He flinched at the sight of a stranger coming in, but he relaxed quickly. His eyes weren't those of someone who would be infected with PAX-12.

"Yes, how may I help you?" The man asked, his voice hoarse as if it wasn't used in many years. He coughed a bit and cleared his throat.

"I came to find someone." Neuren replied, backing a few steps, wondering if the man was ill after all.

The other just looked up, arching his eyebrows.

"It's been a while since someone came here for a visit. Usually we take new people in." He said with a heavy sigh. "Who are you looking for?"

"I..." Neuren's body twitched, thinking he should've thought that better. "Well… as you said, it's been a while since I don't come here, so I don't remember his face. And I don't know his name either..."

The man chuckled, understanding.

"Yes, I think I know who you mean. Follow me."

He stood up from his chair and took a set of keys from a drawer. Then he opened the door and walked inside the corridor; Neuren closely following him. He hadn't been in that place for a long time; he was usually confined into one of the white rooms with some other people. There were many doors with little windows at the top; glancing through them he could see people living "normally", uncaring of whatever happened in the world outside. Even in the state they were in, many people could consider them lucky.

The corridor took various curves to the right and left, and when the man stopped in front of a door it still continued, stairs were visible in the distance.

"You can go in." The man instructed. Neuren couldn't remember the door he just opened, and for a while he looked confused. "This man isn't sick with PAX-12, if that worries you. But you'll both talk through a window, so he can't harm you in case he has a mental crisis." Neuren nodded, waiting for the man to leave to step in. However, he didn't seem like he was about to go anywhere.

"If you excuse me..." He began, trying to sound polite. "I would like to speak alone with him."

The other nodded. He turned around towards the way they came, and disappeared into the darkness. A strange look was on his face. Maybe he already realized that, even if they were safe, the world would end after all. Neuren watched him go, then he stepped into the illuminated room, closed the door and waited next to a chair that was prepared for visitors.

He sprayed a disinfectant all around the place, and checked in every corner for a hidden microphone or a camera. He spotted the second. He couldn't let anyone hear what he was going to say, so he sabotaged it. Foreseeing something like this would happen; he brought with him a small screwdriver, and used the chair to reach it.

In the middle of his work, another man stepped in, slowly. He was in the other side of the window, another chair ready for him. He rested his forearms in the shelf in front of him, looking curiously at the person at the other side.

"What are you doing?" He said between a yawn.

Neuren didn't reply at once, he just continued. After a while, he puffed some air and jumped down from the chair, setting it where it was before and sitting in it.

The man just raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Neuren was surprised at how old he looked, but some features from the man that he met all those years before still remained. He was sure that he was with the right person.

"Long time, huh?" Neuren spoke first.

"I don't even know you."

"Oh come on, why are you like this? We were _friends_." He said sarcastically.

"Who are you?" The man asked, raising his voice. It was easy to get on his nerves, however behind a glass wall Neuren felt less afraid of him.

"I was here before. You didn't tell me your name, and I never told you mine either."

"Nobody tells me their names."

"Okay, we'll try something else." He was beginning to sound irritated, but kept his confident tone. "I'm the one who helped you get some extra food from the weaker ones. And you are in debt to me."

"Wait, what?" The man exclaimed, astonished. "That's impossible! You're dead!"

"Do I look dead to you?" Neuren lowered his chinstrap to give him a challenging smile.

For the first time, he felt superior to this man. If he couldn't do it right with his mother, then he would try it with his nameless friend.

"All right. But what now? Did you come so I pay my debt?"

"In part." He placed his chinstrap back so it covered his mouth. "But we can talk a bit first. How are you? Improving your English I see."

"Yes..." He muttered. "Life went on as usual in here. The world was falling apart behind the walls, but at least we were okay."

"Falling apart, I see."

"You can see it better than me." The man said, looking at the windowless wall. "I can understand some of the people inside here, but I can't understand that man at all."

* * *

"We are sending our bravest men." Spalin was talking in his office, with a camera in front of him. It was being broadcasted in the whole country. "And the war won't stop unless they retreat. I gave them a warning and they didn't listen; now we'll see how well they understand the gun language!"

The image shifted to a group of uniformed soldiers, ready to battle. Some of them looked uneasy, others looked determined, and all of them only followed orders, not bothering to think about how unreasonable their leader's actions might be. And even if they did, disobeying direct orders was unacceptable.

Most people were rejoicing, thinking that war would be the perfect solution to their despair. However, that didn't prevent internal fighting from happening; more and more anarchists were taking action, the streets were being destroyed day by day. Houses and shops with broken windows, constant robbery and self-interest. Everyone knew they had to fight the cause, the disease, but they all succumbed to the worm's control.

At the same time, Russia had no intentions of getting into a war. With the worm's cold resistance, nobody was safe from the illness, and eventually every citizen was sick. It would be a lie to say that they were safe, as many more people died than the government expected. Some people couldn't handle being restrained, and so they left outside to stretch, walk and take some air. But something stronger than them forced them to create havoc wherever they went, and in few days the country was filled with murderers, people who regretted it. The country was left fairly vulnerable, but everyone knew that they had to be ready to retaliate in case Spalin tried anything.

People were already taking shelter in bunkers, taking away all the canned food they could, readying guns for protection or running away from the country. Even if it was forbidden, many tried to cross the border lines only to be safe from the upcoming threat. They all knew that in few days, their homes could be the battlefield. Soldiers would kill them, even if they were just citizens. And thought they would try with all their might to shoot them back, the soldiers' teamwork and better guns would work against their favor.

Nobody wanted another war, especially with two big countries. It could easily derive to a world war. Even then some pacifists were marching against it, but all their efforts were in vain at the end.

* * *

A young boy walked slowly towards a big, muscular man. He held his hands together, shyly, and a bit afraid. He wanted to go unnoticed, but the man had already noticed his clumsy steps.

"What do you want?" He sneered. He was sitting comfortably on a bench, his mouth full of food, though not even he knew what he was eating.

"I... nothing!" The boy exclaimed, and slid away from him.

He turned his head to face at who was his friend. He was smiling, amused by the situation. The smile irritated the kid, and he walked again towards the big man, more confidently.

However, he didn't go straight at him; instead he walked behind him, and took an opportunity when the other was looking the other way. He slowly took a small bowl, smashed food on it, and walked away covering it with his body.

It was seconds later when the other man discovered what was stolen from him. He stood up, pushing the table and spoons falling with a metallic sound. He yelled, asking everyone where his meal was. But no one dared to answer.

"How come they didn't do anything to me?" Neuren asked, remembering his old times with the nameless man.

"They knew you had my protection." The other replied, crossing his arms. "As long as you kid was with me, they wouldn't dare come near you."

"Why didn't you do it yourself? Why couldn't you steal it instead of sending me?"

"Because having someone do all the dirty work is easier." He chuckled. "Besides, do you know what was there?" Neuren raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply, but didn't find the right words. "I knew they had a razor in there."

* * *

It was nighttime. Not many windows reflected the outside, but the clocks already marked the time at twelve o'clock in the morning.

Neuren —nameless at the time— walked through the hallways, peeking through the small windows whenever he passed by a door. He had to walk for a while until he found the room he was looking for. The doors were usually locked from the inside, but he had been taught a way to open them with a wire. At first it was difficult, but after a while he managed to do it. When he stepped inside, his heart skipped a beat and he jumped. Another person was standing in front of him, staring in his direction. Trying so hard to open the door, he didn't stop to think about how noisy he was being.

"What do you want?" The man spoke first. He didn't seem to be too old, younger than twenty, possibly. But he was as wary as everyone else.

"I need... you to talk to my friend." He wasn't sure if _friend_ was the right word, but his popularity made it easier to know who he was referring to.

"Couldn't he come by himself?" He asked, but then he laughed and answered his own question. "Oh, sorry, he was punished for causing discord at dinner." Neuren clenched his fists, but said nothing. "Well, you have guts for coming all the way here and break into my room." He admitted, though his tone seemed sarcastic.

"Will you help me or not?" Neuren asked, getting irritated.

"What does he want? Is he thinking that I can get him out?" The boy nodded, gazing at the other evenly. The man's smile faded, but returned quickly. "Sure. But what will be in for me? Do you expect me to help because I'm a nice person?"

He thought about that for some seconds. The man never told him about that, so maybe he was expecting him to come up with something and pay for him. It was too late to regret it now.

"I can get _you_ out." He finally spoke, firmly, looking at the other in the eyes. He saw his confusion and amazement at the intensity of his gaze, and for a second he believed it could have been true.

"Yeah, sure." He clicked his tongue. "A kid like _you_, get _me_ out?"

"I can try. I'm a genius."

"Oh! The genius boy." He exclaimed, almost laughing again. "I've heard the rumors, but you don't seem to be having the best grades in here, do you?" The boy growled, irritated. The man just chuckled at his reaction, and nodded. "Though the idea isn't bad. Let's try with whatever plan you might have. Do you have a blueprint or something?"

"I remember about that!" The nameless man exclaimed suddenly. "You got me into a lot of trouble then."

Neuren just smiled, crossing his arm. He was feeling superior now.

"The guy hates you. He swore to kill you one day."

He remembered too. As he promised, Neuren developed a plan to escape at night; his accomplice did almost everything for him; from distracting the guards to finding alternative routes. At the end, they reached the garden fence. Neuren told the man to help him climb, saying that he would help him in return. However, just as he reached the other side, they stared at each other right in the eyes. Neuren turned around and ran away, not regretting leaving his accomplice behind, the one he promised to save.

And then, since everyone inside knew that Neuren and the nameless man were _friends_, everything fell down on him.

"Why are you here?" Remembering the events, and the anger he felt at the time, the man asked.

"Just passing through, remembering old times." Neuren replied, casually. That increased the man's anger and impatience; he knew that after so much time, he was bound to change his personality. Neuren noticed from his expression, so he continued. "What do you think about the Neurax Worm?"

Something ringed inside his mind, and he narrowed his eyes, but didn't say it out loud. Instead he tried for a slow approach.

"I think that I'm amazed that you don't have it."

"Me too, can you believe it?" He said with acted amazement. "I know you aren't, since you are kept here all the time. The streets are deserted, so there isn't anyone to infect me. And I'm careful." He explained, as if it was only natural. However, the other man just kept looking with suspicion on his eyes.

"Why don't you call it PAX-12?" He asked at last, noticing instantly how the other winced. "Just that guy on the videos called it _Neurax_."

"Because... if a disease is created, it takes the name that it was originally given." He thought for some seconds, trying to make it sound more convincing. "And I didn't ask about the disease, but the pathogen."

"Right." The man didn't sound convinced, but he was interrupted before he could continue.

"Either way, have this." Neuren took an envelope from his pocket and slid it across a narrow gap between the glass and the shelf. The man looked down at it surprised, then raised his head again.

"Are you allowed to do this?" He asked, leaning closer and lowering his voice. Neuren just smiled, and nodded.

He stood up from the chair, looking quickly at the broken camera. Nobody seemed to have noticed anything; even if the guard wasn't sick, it was possible that he was alone, so he just stood guarding the entrance and nothing else. Neuren shrugged and sighed, there was no way for him to know.

Before leaving, he decided to ask one last question.

"How's life going now?"

The man just stared at him, sternly. It took him several moments to reply; he knew that he was thinking about the decreasing number of guards.

"We are all separated." He began. "If someone wants to eat in their own rooms, there's a camera that records everything you might try to do. If you eat with everyone else, the guards keep a watch over you." He paused to lean more comfortably in the chair. "But it's useless. Fights happen anyway."

"And have you won any?" He taunted, knowing that age and lack of exercise could weaken anyone.

"Of course." However, he didn't fall for it. "You know me. I never lose."

Neuren didn't reply instantly. He was wondering about how life would be if he never escaped. Of course the worm wouldn't exist; or better said, wouldn't have been found. It would be a better place for many, he realized.

"Thanks for your cooperation, then." Neuren turned around, and took a few steps to leave. "Remember to read that letter. With that we'll be even." He said before disappearing.

* * *

The worm was looking bored. He had been alone all this time, and he couldn't get out from that container. It probably despised Neuren with every cell on his body, or maybe he felt thankful that he was helping his race to recover the Earth.

Or maybe, and just maybe, he was happy that everything was going according to his plan.

Maybe the mass infection was supposed to happen. Eventually, someone would have found the creature inside that glacier. But what the worm needed was a brilliant mind, one that would understand the significance of the worm's existence. And what better mind that a human's. What better complexity than their brain. And how beautiful was the chaos inside.

There was a sound in the room; a door opening, then closing, and a human's voice. Neuren had returned from wherever he went to. He might know a lot about biology, but he still was an idiot in risk-gain situations.

He sat down on his chair to keep himself updated. There wasn't anything new he should know; except for certain and specific people, everyone was infected. The cure was at thirty-five percent, he would need to evolve more symptoms if he really wanted to kill everyone.

"Okay, what's next?" He said out loud, clicking on many symptoms at random to check what they would do. "Aneurysms. They are difficult to diagnose." He decided, evolving the symptom. "Or that's what it says here."

He stood up and walked towards the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way and spraying disinfectant on his computer and chair. After going out for the first time in years, he felt refreshed. Humans weren't supposed to live their entire lives inside a box. He was used to it in some way, but the fresh air outside always made him feel more natural. Enjoying it so much, he almost forgot to watch out for the disease, and a feeling of fear was surging within him that he might be infected from his reckless decisions.

* * *

The man went to his room at once. Nobody asked about his visitor, nor what did they talk about.

On the other side of the glass wall, and beyond the door for the visitors' room, the place opened to a larger room, with white walls and many more doors and windows. Each one of them led to private rooms, though they used to be shared by two or more people before.

There were very few people walking around, and they weren't being hostile or wary. With the outer world in utter chaos, the residents were beginning to feel lucky to be locked up, with no ways to communicate with other people. Many believed that they wouldn't receive medical treatment if they got sick.

The man went into his room and closed the door. His limbs were stiff, even sitting down offered a challenge for him. His movements were slow, he couldn't know how long it would be until he finally died, like many others he'd seen in the hospital.

He sat down on the bed. He was feeling curious about the letter his _friend_ had given him.

He didn't have any knives to open it easily. Instead he had to tear the paper carefully, so the letter itself wouldn't be damaged.

However, just as he tore one end of the paper, a cloud of smoke flew from inside the envelope, and began covering the entire room.

_A trap!_ The man thought and, panicking, he opened the door and burst out from there, dropping the envelope on the floor.

He closed the heavy door as quickly as he could, but even after that the smoke came through the slits between the door and the floor.

Some people that were outside of their rooms looked at the man curiously, and when they saw the wisp rising from the door, their expression changed to one of panic as well. However, they could consider themselves lucky that the place was so big that the smoke couldn't spread much.

"What's all that about?!" One gasped, stepping away from the man. His only reply was a shake of his head, signaling that he didn't know.

The smoke, heavily infected with the worm's offspring, would finish the job.

Someone looked by the window, towards the room, trying not to breathe the smoke that was coming from the slits. Of course, he was looking for the source of it. Even if the place was big, there were no windows, and a toxic cloud could be very dangerous if they didn't take care.

"There's a letter in there!" He shrieked to the nameless man. He only shrugged. "What did it say?"

"I couldn't read it."

He stared at him, narrowing his eyes. He turned again to the door and, taking a deep breath, he opened it.

"What are you doing?!" The nameless man yelled from behind. The door closed quickly, just as the other stepped in. A dense cloud was already covering the room, and he had to back a few paces so it wouldn't reach him. The others did the same, even if they knew that, eventually, it would reach them.

The door opened again after a few seconds, the man was carrying the letter that was lying on the floor.

Everyone in the room faced him, not daring to move from their _safe spots_. He coughed and breathed deeply, forgetting his surroundings. He half walked, half ran towards the others, trying to take the letter from the envelope in the way.

"Why did you do that?!" Someone prompted.

"I wouldn't sleep well tonight if I didn't know what is on this letter."

Everyone kept silent, knowing that he was saying the truth. They just kept looking expectantly at the letter, waiting for him to open it. However, the nameless man snatched it from his hands.

"It was given to me._ I'll_ read it."

But instead of reading it out loud, he turned his back on his peers and began reading it internally.

_"If you're reading this, then you've already enjoyed your little prank. You're welcome!_

_You might ask, why the hell did he do that? After all we were _friends_._

_But it's nothing personal, actually. You've heard about the Neurax Worm already, have you? I bet you know as well as I do that, despite the doctors' efforts, the worm will prevail._

_However, some people, like you, are not infected. That means that if the human race is in danger of extinction, future humans will have your genes. I cannot let that happen._

_People have to die after all. It's my goal and the worm's. I think you might be as crazy as I am to understand, or maybe you're just like all those people outside who just know how to scream and plead for their lives._

_Let me tell you that I have surpassed you. I'm at the top of the world; even you will fear me and my creation._

_So the cloud that you probably saw just now —considering that the recipe I found online actually worked—, as you might guess, is either filled with worms or with toxic poison. Maybe with both, as I'm writing I have yet to decide._

_You should be really old by now. So I sincerely wish you enjoy the last moments of your life. Don't bother about fighting it, just flow with the current._

_Enjoy your disease!_

_-Neuren."_

* * *

**Okaaaay no more hiatuses! (Probably)  
**

**What to say about this chapter... I realized that changing the POV suddenly is really fun.**


	21. All is good

A little girl was playing by her garden. It was cold, so she was wearing a thick coat and boots. It snowed the day before, so the streets and roofs were covered in white. The sky was colored gray, a few sun rays filtering through the clouds.

The girl was playing with a ball, occasionally throwing herself at the snow. Her parents were watching close by; they couldn't convince her to go inside again. But they didn't want to interrupt her fun either, so they just let her be.

The weight of the war was hanging above their heads. They moved their beds to a bunker so that they could be safe in case anything happened.

A bird sang, standing on a tree branch. The calling was high-pitched, and irritating. Then it suddenly flew away, screeching, with other two following it.

As if with an omen, something roared overhead. It was barely audible, but it was unmistakable: a plane.

Both parents stood up at once and stared at each other, eyes full of terror and understanding. They called for the girl to come back, but she was so absorbed into her game that she didn't listen. Her mother, driven by instinct, ran to her and carried her up, returning to the house immediately.

As they had feared, their land has become the battlefield. They stood hidden in the underground, hoping everything would pass quickly.

People were already running outside. Not just soldiers but citizens as well, people who were trying to get home safely. Soldiers, probably following direct orders or thinking it was some sort of resistance, killed them swiftly with a single shot.

They would keep going like this for a while, sleeping in unease and wondering whether disease or man would kill them.

* * *

Day after day of unceasing investigation led to nothing. In time, the team was in a hiatus. There were few improvements per day, and the cure seemed to escape their grasp with every reach. The worm was not evolving much, but it was already resistant enough to fight for its survival.

Half team was thinking about giving up, only Derek and Alkaev were encouraging everyone to keep going. The director was barely speaking, working alone in the lab. Others just looked at him, wondering what could be so secret that it shouldn't be shared with everyone.

Something they needed: money. The first barrier into creating any cure, and currently not many people would be so kind to donate something for the cause. In fact, many believed that the cure should be done by now, and they refused to waste more so doctors could rejoice. There were no donations, and they had to rely on their jobs alone. Some even offered a part-time job to raise their funds, but the idea was easily discarded. They needed their energy and rested brains.

Derek was sitting in the main room, with most of the other doctors, scientists and translators. They were in silence, barely moving. A clock resonated in the room; the methodical and repetitive beat was keeping them alert.

A sudden noise startled them, and they all turned their heads almost at the same time to the source. The door to the lab opened, people coming out of it. Their eyes full of concern, though they were leaded by the director, who was looking calm as usual, with both hands kept behind his back. For the first time in many days, he was the first to speak. He addressed the whole room, speaking with a firm and deep voice.

"There's something you've all overlooked." Derek couldn't tell whether he was angry or not, not even his expression gave anything away.

"We didn't overlook anything!" Bellerose interrupted, her voice tinted with indignation. "The worm just evolved! Right there, in front of our eyes!"

Some people stood up, surprised, but they didn't move. Expectant for them to continue, they stood still.

"How did it evolve? How did it change?" Someone asked, in fairly bad English.

"We don't know." Simone replied, stepping ahead. This was his first time in the meeting, and he seemed to be nervous about the situation. "Its whole body twitched, it seemed to grow too."

"What did we overlook?" Derek prompted the director to speak. He had fallen silent again.

"There is someone who can help. Two years ago."

_Two years ago?_ Derek repeated internally. They were trying to save millions of people's lives, why did he have to talk in riddles? He seemed slightly amused at Derek's irritated expression, but he didn't say anything else.

"I don't know." Bellerose spoke with a heavy sigh. "I don't know what it could be."

The rhythmic sound of the clock seemed louder. It became more difficult to breathe as everyone fell in silence, thinking about the director's ominous words. Was he trying them? Seeing that they would be able to create a cure in time? Or was it just a game, with the world as his chess pieces? _He must be feeling like a God..._ Derek thought grimly.

"Apple$oft... Gill Bates..." Derek heard the man next to him mumbling something. He couldn't remember him at all, but he remembered faintly that his surname was Kozel, and he was from Ukraine. Derek leaned closer and whispered.

"Any clues?"

"It's just an idea, but..." He began, with a low voice. "He said _two years_. It was 2016, I was thinking about what happened that year."

"And?" Derek prompted, trying to stop his voice from revealing his curiosity.

"Gill Bates invented something in 2016, right? Just before New Year. A machine or some software that can detect something wrong with a person with fifty percent accuracy. We could use it to see how the worm evolved..." He kept quiet and looked away, still thinking. Derek resisted the urge to stand up and announce that idea. He wanted to discuss it a bit more. "What do you think, then?" Kozel's gaze snapped back at him. "What if Gill Bates is willing to help us? He should have been working in that prototype by now; we could use it to our advantage, right?"

"Right. And?" He repeated one last time. He wanted this person to announce it himself. His gaze darted towards the director, hoping Kozel would catch the signal.

Apparently he did, because he glanced at the director, then at Derek all again. With one last meaningful stare, he stood up, addressing everyone.

* * *

There were no channels now. Nobody had the time or will to create anything. They all knew that nobody would watch it anyway.

If someone turned on the TV now, they would only find old episodes of old and unfinished shows. The news channel used past broadcasts as well. Many people watched them anyway, knowing that, even if everything was a lie, it was sweeter than the truth. After all, they only showed scenes before the PAX-12 outbreak.

There was a group of people, amateurs at most, making videos and uploading them. They believed that the world was supposed to know everything that was happening, so they created their own news channel. With very few funds, they decided to make their own investigations. They even got people who would freely translate and subtitle everything they said, so that everyone could be reached.

"Hello and welcome to another edition of _Worm News!_" A girl, twenty years old, was presenting the titles. A boy about her age was sitting beside her, flipping through some papers. The girl pointed towards him, smiling at the camera. "Here we are with Josh. Say hi, Josh."

Josh looked up nervously, then calmed down and nodded at the camera, as natural as he could.

"Thank you Kate. Shall we begin?" His gaze met hers, and they did a high five. Then Josh returned his gaze to the paper and then, the camera. "Today we have something really interesting to share with you all. Care to tell us, Kate?"

"Of course. There's recent information that the worm has mutated."

"That is terrible!" Josh replied, acting a gasp.

"But wait—it has mutated into something beneficial for us."

"How is that possible?"

Kate extended her arm to grab something that the camera didn't catch. She inspected it for a while, and then she showed it. It was like a mobile phone, but very thin, and with many non-understandable graphics on the screen.

"If we remember correctly, Gill Bates invented the iCure two years ago; a new device to detect many lethal diseases. It was almost ready to detect aneurysms."

"That's right!" Josh seemed to lit up in a second. He placed both hands on the desk. "And from what we can see, the worm can develop aneurysms on their hosts, right?"

"Right." She nodded to him and her gaze returned to the camera. "But doctors are using the iCure device to help and cure them, trying not to interfere with the worm. Dangerous or not, it will help future researches, and now we're one step closer to the cure."

* * *

"That is impossible!" Neuren yelled suddenly. The plan had gone wrong, and now it looked like he was helping the cure, rather than fighting it.

"It's unlike him to make a mistake. Might he be regretting it?" He heard Josh saying on the computer. He clenched his fists; he was only regretting his own failure. He would've never guessed that a past event would backfire now.

He closed the window that was broadcasting the show, unable to hear anymore. He stood up and walked to his apartment window. The moon was shining high, majestic, and cold. He opened the windows, feeling a cool breeze on his skin. There were no people outside; at most just a few, abandoned and broken cars.

He placed both hands on his back, sinking his nails on his wrist. When the pain became almost unbearable, he retreated his hand, showing deep marks on his skin. He was never good for handling anger and frustration, and now he felt worse than ever.

He turned around and went to the computer again. He didn't say anything, but everything about his expression and movements showed the fury he was feeling inside.

He looked towards a small hallway on his apartment, one that led to his room. _How long is she going to sleep?_ He thought, irritated. He began walking to his room, but stopped midway. "What's this?" His gaze pointed to the last symptom evolved. There was something there he didn't catch before; something that replaced the DNA cost.

_Devolve symptoms_, he read internally. The cure was going faster due to his mistake, and a way to fix it would be to devolve aneurysms.

Yet it would cost too many DNA points, and in this critical moment, he had not enough to go wasting however he wanted. His strategy had gone wrong because he didn't know that his opponent was ready, and it was up to him to turn the tables again.

His goal was the coma symptom. With that, people could fall slowly, one by one, until they couldn't retaliate anymore. He was so close to it, but so far at the same time.

"At least it's not that bad... is it?" He said out loud, his hand twitching. "It's not that bad..."

He looked at the ceiling as if remembering something. But now his mind was empty. He closed his eyes, and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Derek spoke with a quiet and comprehensive voice to his fellow companion. They had known each other for a relative short time, but that was enough to make Derek respect the other doctor.

"Yes." Alkaev spoke with such confidence that it could almost be true. "Don't worry."

They both stood over the balcony. At night, before some could go to sleep, they had a few minutes to waste, especially now when it was so difficult to proceed.

"There should be a full moon in Russia too." Alkaev spoke suddenly, without looking at Derek. "I wonder how they are doing."

News from the war has brought incredible pressure to most people working on the cure. However, in his case, he felt he'd never feel at ease if the cure wasn't ready and his country saved. Even if he stayed in England for the project, his plan was to return to his home country once everything was over.

"Do you think we'll make it?"

Derek wondered for a few moments, and then replied as confidently as he could.

"Of course. I don't think anybody would like to see the world die because of a single man's desires."

"But we don't know if it's _one_." He pointed out. "It could be two, three, or a team like ours."

"If that's the case, I hope they are inexperienced." Derek said with a heavy sigh. "We have the best doctors, microbiologists and scientists of the world."

"I guess it was a shock for us. First a worm that controls minds, then a guy that controls worms."

They fell silent quickly. Derek knew what was in his mind. He wondered what it would be like to have his own country destroyed, while he worked effortlessly to stop it in the only way he knew. He had to admire the younger doctor's dedication and refusal to give up.

"Thompson, I expect that you don't give up either." Alkaev said firmly, as if he read his mind. "Even if everyone else in this meeting dies, I hope you stand tall against the world. Just as I wish I could have done."

* * *

**This one wasn't supposed to be so short, but the first version was even worse so good.**

**I may not update as often as I used to. I'm in too many other projects at the moment aaand with real life (so I had almost no time to re-read this chapter and there might be a few mistakes). But I _will_ get this fanfiction done and I want the deadline to be the 31st of December of 2015.**


	22. Silent Execution

Very few people were on the street that day, yet they were as noisy as ever, and even more. Screams were silenced by gunshots, and here and there a house crumbled, ceilings fell and walls collapsed.

"It's not getting better soon..." A woman said to his husband, looking through the window. "We might be safe here, but..." She broke off, unable to continue.

"We'll be okay, Natasha. Eventually, they'll surrender and retreat." His voice was tinted with anger, but he drowned it.

Someone passed close by, their steps calm and controlled. Inside the underground bunker, only his feet were seen, covered by black boots. Without checking for survivors, the person continued walking at the same pace.

"American?" The male voice asked behind Natasha. She turned around and shook her head.

"I don't know, but let's hope he wasn't."

Above, someone was patrolling alone, keeping a gun on both hands. His gaze was focused forward, without letting anything disturb and distract him. He was well aware of the countless bodies around him. And he was aware that not everyone carried gun wounds.

The Neurax Worm was causing all of it. People not only died from that unnecessary conflict, but for the recently-evolved aneurysms and the lack of medical care.

His body felt heavy, and it was difficult to continue. He was tiring with every step, eventually coming to a point where he was panting, trying to catch his breath. A sharp headache was assaulting him, making him wince.

He tried to continue, but he came to a halt when it was too much to bear. He fell on his knees, panting. A terrible pain inside his head that was impossible to calm down, he took a pill and swallowed it.

"Whenever your sickness becomes too bad, take one of these." One of the generals had said, giving each one a pill. "They will ease your pain. Do everything you can while the effect lasts; in return your deaths will be silent and painless."

He wasn't wrong. The soldier felt better, almost enough to stand up. However he was being weakened by every second, every beat of his heart.

He smiled, lying down in the comforting layer of snow below him. Soothing his aching muscles, he slowly closed his eyes hoping he would be able to sleep at least once.

* * *

"I think it's time." Neuren said with his cursor circling the icon. "Genetic ReShuffle 2. My plan won't work if the cure is ready before time." There was no time now to evolve any more symptoms and no DNA points anyway. _I expected a bit more, though._

He looked at the map, hoping for good news. Now, every country was infected and the worm was still spreading from person to person. However, it was obvious that each infected country meant at least one doctor working on the cure. Bigger country like United States or England had more people working on it, maybe two, three or fifty.

For the first time, Neuren couldn't hold being enclosed in those four walls. From his visit to his friend, nothing else happened. A war was happening elsewhere, but he wasn't there to watch it. The TV was the only thing that could keep him entertained, and now even that felt boring. The streets were in complete silence, people out of fear kept shut inside their homes, and homeless people probably died since they couldn't get a doctor to treat them.

Sighing, he looked at the worm.

"Hey, you." He called, rolling his chair to face the limp creature. "You aren't offering me what I wanted. Can't you make people do something fun?"

As the worm didn't reply, Neuren felt quite disappointed and frustrated. After a long time, he was accustomed to it, but now it was just bothersome.

"You used to talk to me a while back, didn't you? What happened to the cute creature you were back then?"

The worm was silent for a while, but its sightless eyes were looking at Neuren directly. The man nodded in understanding.

"I understand that but you could try to be a little more fun, you know? I'm doing all the work here." He leaned on the back of the chair and rolled it again. His body jumped, as if something suddenly disturbed him, and glanced sideways at the worm again. "What about her?" He asked, waiting for it to reply before speaking again. "She's not dead, what are you talking about? I never killed anyone, did I?"

A voice in his head, quick as a lightning, told him that the conversation he was having with the worm right now was his conscience telling him that he killed a person in cold blood. Until now he had pretended that she was alive, only to escape from guilt.

He shook his head frantically and faced the worm again with an infuriated expression. Yet this time he didn't say anything, just took a disinfectant and sprayed it all around him.

* * *

As Spalin stared out his window, people were marching to him, yelling in rage. He kept watching calmly, hands behind his back, at the hate surging from the crowd that used to love him. How could they change so much in a matter of hours? Were these PAX-12 effects or was something else at play?

A guard was standing protectively behind him. Spalin knew that man was one of the last president's most trusted guards, and now he could see why. He signaled for him to come forward, aware that the guy was probably resenting that he was his new leader now.

The crowd was throwing glass bottles at the building. A few were full of alcohol and then set on fire. They glowed ominously over the evening sky until crashing in the gray, sturdy wall. It wouldn't set on fire—not so easily.

Suddenly, someone broke from the chaos, looking wildly around him. Whether he found what he was looking for or not is unknown, but smashing a bottle in half, he stabbed with the sharp end to the first person that was next to him.

The other managed to dodge by a hair and stared at his attacker, bewildered. He barely understood the situation when the man decided to attack again, lunging at his heart. Trying to dodge again, he fell backwards, feeling a sharp pain on his wrists as he landed on them. Still on the ground he backed away as the other approached dangerously. His eyes were vicious, he'd lost himself in the heat of the battle and now desired to kill everyone, even who were supposed to be his companions.

The man crouched and met his victim's eyes. The bottle glinted under moonlight, the sharp end turning to scarlet as it sunk in the lifeless body of a human.

"Any progress?" Spalin asked, looking away from the scene. The guard shook his head.

"Our men—" He cut off as Spalin raised a hand for silence. He already knew what he was going to say, there was no need to hear it.

The guard understood and kept quiet. He couldn't disobey his leader anyway, even if he had something to say. He's been trained hard to understand submission, loyalty and courage; traits he hoped to pass down in other generations. But he was supposed to give his life in order to save the man in front of him, prioritizing that over personal desires.

He suppressed a sigh, closing his eyes. Nodding to the president, he turned around and walked away, not sure whether the other man had seen his gesture or not. Hopefully he wouldn't get in trouble for "sneaking" away from the room.

Spalin paid no attention to the guard and continued staring blankly at the scene in front of him. What were these people demanding? He'd already tried everything to help them. Or had they realized that the attack was completely unnecessary? He clenched his fists. _I'm their president!_ He thought grudgingly. _Whether you like it or not, you have to follow my orders._

He knew that people would continue to die in front of his windows. Only the strongest would survive, and at the rate they were surrendering to the worm inside them, only _one_ was going to live.

Knowing this, Spalin turned around from the window to see that the guard had gone. A laptop was in his place, resting on a table, the screen turned off. _Idle for a long time,_ he guessed, walking to it and pressing a button at random. A video was paused and ready to be played. He recognized the logo instantly: it was that channel with Kate and Josh with news about the Neurax Worm's progress; and the cure's progress. Spalin grunted, remembering when he saw it for the first time. Neuren was mentioned on it, naturally; something he hated by now. _That Neuren might trick all those fools—but not me._ He didn't even watch the video; he just closed the laptop and walked away, calling another guard. Whether he liked it or not… people believed that fantasy. They believed that man could control such a powerful creature, and they believed he could do it alone. Everything that happened that day at his window would repeat every night until he decided to retreat his force.

_I might not have any other choices._ He believed, head down. He wouldn't accept that his country was about to lose, but many had warned of the dangers of loosing so many people in a war over something that wasn't proved. The worm hadn't died yet. Neuren hadn't died yet. Whoever was controlling the worm hadn't died yet.

He guessed it was already time to surrender.

* * *

Luan blinked at the sunlight that was blinding him. When he lived in Brazil, he was used to a strong sun, but a time in the UK, deprived from the sunlight and working almost every hour for the cure weakened his eyes. Or more likely they adjusted to the situation and his surroundings. Either way he had to place a hand between his eyes and the sun, to shield them.

Kazuki was walking at his side, yet not speaking. Being back in Luan's hometown, he knew that he wouldn't be needed for now. He didn't try to start a conversation either, as trying to cheer him up would be in vain.

All around them, deserted buildings and broken windows. Here and there, a body was lying, stiff and cold despite the sun. Luan walked ahead, trying to ignore everything, but he was well aware that his former home had become a deserted wasteland. Once they found a mother with two children, trying to keep themselves safe between some boxes. The woman glared at the two passing people, a knife in hand, ready to kill if they tried anything. They didn't make eye contact, knowing she would take it as a sign of aggression, and continued silently, passing the protective mother and her children.

Eventually they reached a large building. It was different from the others; light was streaming from inside. Luan raised an eyebrow, wondering why they would keep the lights on in plain daylight. He walked to the main gate, Kazuki following him closely, and ringed the doorbell. Someone answered on the speaker.

"Who is it?" It was a male voice, speaking in Portuguese.

"Luan Carvalho and Akio Kazuki." He simply said, waiting for the other to open the door. For a few moments there was silence, and then the man spoke again.

"Come in." A ringing sound filled the air, and Luan opened the door with ease, holding it for a while so Kazuki could go in too.

Inside, the place was almost like the building where the others were working, but just a little bigger. He had to admit that he preferred this place, and would have loved to stay there, but there was no one else who would like to travel such long distances.

A man wearing a coat came to receive his visitors. He shook their hand politely, and led them to another room upstairs. _The same layout,_ Luan thought as he stepped into the stairs.

The only difference that he could find between this building and the one in the UK was the fact that there was no meeting room. It just skipped directly to a laboratory, taking advantage of the missing space to make it bigger. There were few people there, working on some substance and mixing some liquids. They turned their heads as soon as they saw Luan approach, and they greeted him without letting go the containers they had on their hands.

"As you might guess, we're working on the cure." The man said as the others returned to work. "We called you to share our discoveries. But first let me introduce the team." He led the way into the lab, careful not to disturb anyone at work. "My name is Abel Cruz. Call me Abel."

Luan nodded and introduced himself, then Kazuki did the same. The introductions didn't last long, much to Luan's relief, as there were few people working there. Abel finally led them to another room, much smaller and deserted.

"This is where we do experiments with the worm." He explained, opening the door. "Be careful, we don't want it escaping."

It was dimly illuminated, with only one small window in the entire room. Some worms were kept inside some glass cylinders, just like the one Neuren used to keep his worm. Luan inspected them, careful not to touch anything, and advised Kazuki to do the same. They both waited until Abel explained, but he shook his head briefly.

"Sorry for my boldness, but I would prefer to speak to Mr. Carvalho alone."

Kazuki looked surprised, then he inclined his head respectfully and went outside, closing the door behind him. Luan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation.

"I find it easier to speak without an audience, don't you agree?" He chuckled.

"I wouldn't call two people an _audience_." Luan replied in a murmur.

Abel didn't speak, just smiled and signaled for him to follow. Luan obeyed, following him to a corner where a table was lying. In it, several jars contained unknown and colorful substances.

"We made all of these." Abel spoke, as if foreseeing a question. "Trying different antibiotics that could kill the worm. It is very resistant." He sighed, glancing back at one of the worms. "And there were few that actually worked in the rats, but they were so strong that they ended killing its brain tissues."

"It's something." Luan conceded, nodding. "We just have to find a substance like that, but weaker."

"Or try it on humans." Abel suggested. When Luan stared at him curiously, he continued. "We don't know if the human brain is able to support it."

"Even if it was true, you can't expect them to be walking as if nothing happened later." Luan pointed out. "Sequels are surely going to happen, and we would be dealing with a post-PAX-12 disease."

"It's that, or risk more deaths." Abel held his gaze sternly, and they both glared at each other in silence. "Do you know how many people have died already?" When Luan didn't reply, he went on. "I bet that more than half of the world population has been lost. At this rate, the worm will kill us all, without the cure is half done."

"That won't happen." Luan declared, a spark of determination flashing through his eyes.

"Are you sure?" The other inquired, doubtfully. He pointed with his head to the group of worms lying beside them. "Yesterday, the worm evolved again." He announced as Luan stepped away to inspect them more closely. "It looked as if its DNA changed completely. A total reshuffle."

"It has happened before." Luan stated calmly. "Derek Thompson has told me about it. The man who discovered the disease." He added before Abel had a chance to ask. "The worm went through what he likes to call a _Genetic ReShuffle_. He said Neuren was able to make the worm do that."

"Then how are we supposed to fight against a creature that changes all the time?"

"Something tells me the reshuffles are not endless." He thought out loud. "If that was the case, the worm would evolve every day. We just have to be faster than him." He paused for a moment and looked back at Abel. "Tell me what you found out. Every bit of information is useful at the time."

Abel hesitated, then nodded. He returned to the lab, ignoring the prying eyes of his companions and Kazuki. He grabbed a large folder, opened it and flipped through the pages, only to close it again and hand it to Luan.

"This is everything we gathered so far. Make a copy out of it and take it to your team. We'll tell you if anything else happens."

"Thank you." Luan said. "I'll be travelling all around the world to report our findings. Hopefully this will increase our research speed."

"I hope it does." Abel murmured under his breath. Luan nodded to Kazuki; they would stay there for a few days before leaving again.

* * *

**W00t no author's notes.**


	23. If this never happened

As Spalin stepped up, objects were thrown at him. People were yelling, threatening him, as he walked to the microphone to speak. His expression was none other than somber, almost utterly defeated. He'd faced many furious crowds before, but his authority stood above them. Now, the population won. _In numbers, they are stronger._

"There is no need to continue this any further." He said, looking up, yet not facing the people below."I will retreat my soldiers from Russian territory. They will return here and receive treatment."

Silence welcomed his words. Their leader was openly giving up and waiting for cheers of approval, yet he received none.

He said no more and turned away, some guards flanking him and others covering his back.

"Who cares...?"

A man from the crowd was the first to leave. His head down, with slow and clumsy steps, mumbling the same words over and over.

"Who cares?"

He didn't know where he was heading. He should be going back home, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to refresh the memories. He just wanted to wake up from the nightmare that PAX-12 created.

It was just a few days before that his wife died. She couldn't get a proper funeral, and he was still grieving for her death.

She was thirty-three years old. He was thirty-four. He would never stop remembering her: Victoria. Such an elegant name for such a perfect woman.

They were living together for years before the outbreak, when they both were at the young age of twenty. They needed a place to live with their young daughter, Bianca. Victoria had become pregnant at the age of seventeen, and it was unwanted. She had to live a harsh life of prejudice and hatred with her family, but her boyfriend was always there to support her. His name was Daniel; the man that now was walking clumsily through the streets.

"Who cares?"

After hearing the news, Daniel was surprised, and terrified at the same time. He didn't know what to do, or how to cheer her up. Should he care for his own child, or abandon the girl he loved and find another one? At his current age the choice should be obvious, but when he was so young and inexperienced, he had to think carefully.

Yet when he finally made his choice, he knew he would never regret it for as long as he lived.

Placing a hand on her cheek, he lifted her head so their eyes could meet.

"Don't worry. I'll be with you forever, and we'll raise this child to be the best person he or she could ever be."

Her eyes, watered by tears, sparkled with affection and relief. She wasn't sure either whether she was ready for the challenge ahead, but she would have to do it. For their sake.

Years after. Bianca was fifteen. They too have suffered from the Neurax outbreak, and daily life was difficult. The girl and her mother, constantly arguing and later crying alone and regretting it, aware that the worm was making them fight and hate each other.

The man walked into the house. It was dark, so dark that he thought he went blind for a moment. He turned on the lights; something he would regret forever.

The girl's hand was holding a large knife, covered in scarlet liquid. The woman's chest was torn, dripping the same liquid. Both had their eyes open, staring in the distance and not even blinking.

The man fell to his knees, acutely aware of what happened in front of his eyes, probably just hours before. Bianca had killed her own mother, encouraged by the worm's influence, and regaining her conscience she felt overwhelmed and committed suicide.

"I lost everything, who cares if others do too?"

* * *

"Ah, this is so beautiful!" Neuren sighed, smiling and closing his eyes. "I'm impressed, Mr. Alpha Neurax. Look at all those little children of yours, eating and eating." He rested on his chair putting his hands behind his head. "This is the first time I relaxed in ages! What took you so long?"

The worm stood still, without replying. Not a single beam of light was reflecting on its skin, and it was unknown whether it was alive or not.

Neuren looked at it, his face lit by the different colors of the screen, with red being the predominant color. He smiled; for some reason, he felt great that day. He was expecting that nothing would ruin his day now.

A cold shiver ran through him. He had a bothersome and terrifying feeling that, sooner or later, something would go wrong. This great time was not eternal.

Neuren shook his head and stood up. His legs felt stiff after being in the same position for so long. Stretching, he decided to watch the _news_. Out of habit, he turned on the TV. Black and white dots dancing in a chaotic manner, every single channel was like that. Here and there, an old show broadcasting, probably to fill the empty spaces. Most news channels were empty, aside from one or two that offered information about a time before the outbreak. Neuren grimaced at the sight; it wasn't too different to what the world is now. Someone important being murdered, a traffic accident with many fatal victims, homeless people struggling in vain for their rights.

Then he remembered Pamela's words; how she used to criticize that awful side of the world, but how she also spoke of a better side, the beautiful little things that people do to make the world better. He began wondering, what would've happened if he never found the worm? Would Earth be the place that she desired, and hoped it would be? He was so sure that it could never happen; his own experience told him so. In school, he was taught about war, about the many different conflicts between countries and inside them. In the hospital, he'd seen that with his own eyes. _That's why I had to get rid of that guy_, he thought defensively. _Bergström is wrong._

* * *

Kate and Joseph were looking tired, with bags under their eyes and a hunched position. Several cups of coffee weren't enough to wake them up, and no matter how much they slept, the drowsiness never gave up.

"Do you need anything?" Josh asked, genuinely concerned. Kate had been in a bad state for a few days, constantly coughing, taking pills almost every time to ease her headaches. Once, she even fainted in the middle of recording, and they had to take a break and start over. She refused to let Josh take care of everything, insisting that she was also part of the program and wouldn't back down for something that was natural, unavoidable.

"Let's begin." She answered, straightening up.

While recording, Josh never stopped casting anxious sideways glances at her, making sure she wouldn't get too tired to go on. He had to admire that side of her; determined, strong, and a bit stubborn. Alarmed, he realized that Kate didn't have much more time to live, and the cure wouldn't be ready in time for her.

He sighed, hoping the microphone didn't catch it, and began flipping through the papers in front of him.

"...and now Josh is going to give us the news!" He heard Kate say beside him. "What's new, Josh?"

He forced a smile. He still wasn't used to fake his own feelings, and even curving his lips offered a painful mental challenge for him.

"Yes... yes! Uh, many more doctors and scientists worldwide are joining cure research. Luan Carvalho, a prodigy from Brazil, is currently travelling from city to city, country to country, to get help from other specialists. They have reported that their research speed increased significantly over the last few days, and..." He paused, and gulped nervously. He couldn't bring himself to say the next words, and for a second he forgot that a considerable amount of people would be watching that reaction. He lowered his gaze and clenched his fist on his legs. Kate took over for him:

"And they hope to have it ready... before the whole world passes out to a better life." Her tone was steady, but even Josh could realize that it was difficult for her too.

_Ready... for everyone but you._

* * *

"Ah, I see." Neuren said, finished watching the video. "They're trying even harder now."

He remembered the list of planes he had. It was true; very few, specific flights were scheduled for almost the whole month. Eventually, they all returned to England, were the main meeting was being held. The cure progress was increasing dangerously faster, but that didn't concern him. Neuren looked at the bar that showed the amount of deaths, seeing that half world population was already dead. There was nothing to worry about, just try not to get infected as well.

He spun around as a strange, metallic sound resonated from the main door. Just like a key being inserted on the keyhole when someone opened a door. But that couldn't be possible, since his neighbors were long dead. Or at least he thought so; the whole building had been silent for a long time.

_The police?_ Neuren wondered, alarmed. He jolted back to present and ran towards the cylinder that kept the worm. As silently but quickly as he could, he dragged the fragile object to a place where it couldn't be easily seen. _The bedroom!_ He opened the door, and suddenly a horrid smell filled his nose. He blocked it with his arm and went inside, leaving the worm in a corner and covering it with a blanket.

"Don't you dare to come out." He whispered to the creature, and turned around to the bed. "And you make sure it doesn't escape. Keep silent." He closed the door and locked it, returning to where the computer was. The software he used to control the worm was open, and he wasn't sure what could happen if he closed it. He decided to just turn off the screen, hoping whoever was trying to come in wouldn't know anything about computers. He covered his whole body with thick clothes, ignoring the suffocating heat they caused. The person had already opened two locks, and Neuren readied himself to face this new encounter.

* * *

**Yah sorry, I tried to make it longer but couldn't. Hopefully not many typos today, lol.**


	24. Time is Running Out

While Neuren was still arranging some parts of the apartment, a voice sounded behind him:

"Hey, don't mind me, I'm just passing through."

He froze in place, wondering whether to turn around or not. His breath in quick gasps, he dared to face his opponent.

"Gee, at least give me a more friendly face. I'm a visitor here."

"Who are you?"

"Before asking a person's name..."

He wasn't sure how to reply. _This guy has some nerve! _He stood silent for a few moments, the heat from all the coats he was wearing becoming almost unbearable.

"I'm... John." Neuren replied after a while. He saw the stranger's dull eyes sparkling with amusement for a second, a smile forming on his face.

"John, huh? Funny how you say it like I'd believe it."

_Then why bother asking?!_ Neuren thought, becoming more and more irritated. The man continued before he could argue.

"Your name is Logan, if I'm not mistaken. Logan... Stanford, maybe?"

He stated at the stranger, alarmed. He was sure that this man, whoever he was, knew everything.

"Who are you?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. He tried his best to control the fear rising through his body; at least his clothes wouldn't show that he was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh, are names important? I'm just here to chill. Let's chill."

"C...chill?" He stammered. He shook his head violently, and glared at him fiercely. "Who are you?" He repeated, keeping his voice as threatening as he could.

However, the man just raised an eyebrow, interested.

"Alright. You can call me Dan."

Neuren waited for him to continue, but he said no more. Apparently, he was waiting for Neuren to speak as well.

"That's... only your name. I asked who you are." He repeated his question one last time, hoping he would get it this time. His tone revealed that he would not answer questions.

"Oh, if you insist. I'm Daniel, expert programmer and fairly skilled hacker. Ten months and five days younger than you. Currently unemployed, but with an easy source of money."

_So that's how he knows my name..._ Neuren realized. He waited, wishing that he wasn't working for the police.

"I must say, though; I'm impressed." Dan went on. "Your personal information is well secured; it took me a while to break through." He looked around, thoughtful, enjoying the dramatic pause. "As if it wasn't you who protected it."

"Well... I'm a genius." Neuren replied, a bit defensive. "I don't need help from anyone."

"You can't be a genius in everything. Yet, I never mentioned that you received _human_ help."

From the way that Neuren frowned, Dan deduced that he was on the right track. He smiled, satisfied with himself, and said no more. Instead he stepped forward, closing the door behind him, as if he was in his own house.

Neuren flinched and took a few steps back. Behind him, he had a kitchen knife ready, hoping he wouldn't be forced to use it.

"So, where is it?" Dan asked after a while, inspecting curiously every corner. He took a swift glance at the terrified man at the other side of the room. "Hey, relax, it's not like I carry a deadly plague that would kill you if you approached me."

_Yeah, right!_ Neuren thought, disgusted. He had noticed from the first time he saw that strange person; his eyes would blink twice per second. And he knew that wasn't something caused by contacts or anything; it was disease. The highly infectious disease that the Neurax Worm created. By having that man there, he was exposed, and for once he felt vulnerable against his own creation. _Is this what the rest of the world feel?_

"Okay dude, tell you what. You won't get sick. Now tell me where it is."

"How can you say that?!" Neuren snapped, walking to the corner of his room. He sprayed disinfectant all around him, and practically showered the stranger with it.

"Seriously. For being the one who supposedly created the thing, you are clueless." Dan chuckled mockingly. "There were methods to prevent the worm from spreading. Yeah, they did fail at the end... mostly."

"Mostly?" Neuren repeated, finally interested.

"Mostly. If the worm is _asleep_, it can't infect anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll leave the rest to you." He replied, turning around to continue inspecting the room. "So, where is it?"

Neuren barely heard his question. Did that mean that someone has found a way to stop him? The cure progress was over fifty percent done, and according to this guy, someone found a way to turn off all the transmission traits he evolved. However, that wasn't exactly concerning, as it would only matter if there were people still uninfected. The uneasy part of the story was who exactly made that possible?

"Hey, Earth to Logan. Where is it?" Dan asked again, his tone growing from cheerful to impatient.

"Oh... uh..." He jolted back to reality, and stared confusedly at Dan for some moments. "Where is what?"

"What do you mean _what_? The worm, PAX-12!"

Neuren felt a cold shiver running down his spine. He couldn't let him see it. Dan was probably trying to stop him, using a friendly appearance to deceive him.

"What do you want him for?" Neuren asked, his glare showing that, whatever his answer, he wouldn't allow it.

"_Him_? You call a worm _he_?" Dan asked, laughing boldly. "Whatever. I want to see what's inside my head."

"A brain and a worm. That's all there is to it."

Dan clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer. However, he didn't care that much. The cure wouldn't be ready in time for him, and his goal was to meet his murderer before he died, and understand everything.

"So what's the plan?" He asked, changing the subject. "How do you know when the worm evolves?" Neuren didn't reply, he just gave a suspicious glare at Dan. "Hey, I might even die here at your house. It's not like I have time to tell the police."

"Why aren't you telling them now?" Neuren shot back. Dan just smiled, and chuckled slightly.

"You will never win, Logan." His tone changed to a serious one. Neuren thought about how strange and bothersome it was to be called by his real name. "And I want you to fall. To feel the despair of failure when the world is reconstructed behind your back."

"Then why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? To quench my thirst of curiosity." Dan smiled again.

They both stood silently, waiting. Neuren just wanted this stranger to leave. Would it really be so dangerous to let him know a few things, considering how he was going to die afterwards? Yet he couldn't be sure that he wasn't recording anything, waiting to send every word.

"Man, you're such a scaredy cat. I'm not selling you; but you have to admit I deserve something, having discovered your address and everything by myself..." Dan took a step towards the computer. Neuren leaned forward, but stopped. He still couldn't believe that this man couldn't infect him. He stood still, fists clenched and teeth chattering, as the other turned on the screen and checked things out. "Ah, so this is how you know." He said approvingly. "There's a symptom list over here. So next thing is... Aphasia?" He read the next symptom available, and began reading: "Bruised tissue causes language impairment. Makes developing a cure significantly harder. Hmm." With the cursor, he clicked on the symptom. His eyes were wide open when he realized that he had made the worm evolve by himself.

Neuren rushed over to him, knocking Dan out of the way and looking at the symptom he just evolved.

"What have you done?!" He snapped, furious. He wasn't planning to evolve Aphasia yet, but now he missed all of his DNA points.

"What? That is beneficial to you, stop yelling." He stood up and stretched. "Funny, I thought I would be unable to speak."

"The worm is acting right now, but it might take a while for you to notice." Neuren explained, and paused. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter; stop sticking your nose everywhere!"

"Alright, got it. What else should I know? That worm has too many symptoms."

"Yes, but it can't evolve all of them." Neuren took a swift glance at the Transcendence symptom, somewhat glad that Dan hadn't seen it.

"Okay, then... I've heard that the worm spreads with eggs, and through air. Is that true?"

"Yes... I mean, why do you care?"

"You could try to be friendlier." Dan sighed. "I mean, it's quite impressive what you did; and let me tell you, I'm not easily impressed."

"I'm not falling for those tricks." Neuren wondered whether to devolve the new symptom or not. He didn't have enough points to do that, and it could decrease research speed. But if Kate and Josh from the news program lost the ability to speak, he wouldn't know how well the cure was progressing, making it impossible to act in consequence.

"Alright, Einstein. How resistant is the worm against heat? Do you even know that?"

Neuren seemed to take his words as an offense, since he believed he knew everything he needed about the worm, so he replied.

"Very resistant. I'd say it does better with heat than cold, and its cold resistant is above perfect."

"Drug resistance?"

"Above perfect."

"Skin?"

"Hard as steel."

"Don't you think that people would feel something like that on their brains?"

Neuren kept silent for a few seconds, wondering about it.

"I don't know. I don't have one." He said simply.

"How did you find it? Or are you telling me that you genetically created it?"

"Found it. You don't need to know where."

Dan kept shooting questions one after another, while Neuren gave him vague and protected answers. Though Dan didn't seem bothered by it; he considered every kind of information helpful.

"How would you defeat the worm?" Dan shot his last question at him.

However, as he suspected, Neuren didn't reply. He kept silent, staring at the screen, his eyelid twitching.

"Okay, I guess is time to leave." Dan announced suddenly, smiling. Neuren's gaze shot back at him, surprised. "My time has come. Your stupid worm is killing me." Dan walked over the door, ready to leave. Neuren followed him closely, but keeping some distance. Dan turned his head around, sensing someone was following him.

"I'm going to make sure you leave." He explained, meeting Dan's dull blue gaze. "And disinfect everything you touch."

Dan smirked mockingly, and stepped out of the apartment. He went inside the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor, and the door closed automatically behind him.

Neuren rushed to his apartment again, walking to the window to see the outside. He waited expectantly for a few moments, coldly calculating the time it would take tell elevator to descend and for Dan to walk through the main door. It wasn't locked, simply because there was no one to lock it in the first place.

Finally he saw the stranger outside. He looked left and right, and to the window where Neuren was standing. He walked for a few steps, slow and tired, eventually collapsing on the floor. Neuren kept staring at him, until he could be sure that the stranger was dead. With a sigh, he turned around, ready to clean the whole room thoroughly. His whole body was thankful when he took off the coat, enjoying the coolness of the room.

* * *

Derek woke up on the sofa. An alarm was sounding beside him, but he left it so the others would wake up too.

There were fewer doctors now. One by one, they were falling ill, and dying. One of them was Alkaev, much to Derek's sorrow. He respected the wise doctor deeply, and working without his constant support wouldn't be easy. He was tempted to give up, knowing that it wouldn't be so easy to continue from now on, with death threatening to take one more every day.

Derek yawned, standing up. The alarm was still echoing through the room, but at least most of them were already up. Bellerose walked over to Derek. She didn't need to speak to let Derek know how exhausted she was. She pointed with her head to someone who was lying calmly on the sofa, and who wasn't even stirring. Bellerose walked away to the lab, getting a coffee on the way.

Derek walked over to the doctors, nudging him gently. But his body felt cold below his hands, and his muscles were stiff. Derek closed his eyes and decided not to say anything. Instead he covered the corpse with a blanket he had nearby, and turned around, following Bellerose.

"Should we keep this going, Thompson?" Bellerose asked when he caught up with her. "The cure, I mean. Will we make it in time?"

Derek sighed deeply, not replying. He just walked, lost in thought, not wanting to touch the subject just now.

"Where is Luan right now?" He heard someone said behind him. He stopped, turning around, and saw another man speaking with Bellerose. Walking next to them, Derek listened in silence.

"I believe he's in Europe." The woman replied. "I'm not sure where exactly."

The room was almost empty. People were coming from different doors, slowly filling the room. However, the lack of certain people was being more and more noticeable with every passing day. The director was already there, looking as calm as ever. It was impossible to determine whether he was sick or not, as his eyes, half closed, didn't reveal when he blinked.

A girl went to Derek's side and sat down on an empty chair. Derek eyed her curiously.

"Sharon? What's wrong?" He asked.

Sharon didn't look up. She felt tired, sleepy and somewhat hungry, but more than anything, worried. About her friend, Caroline, the world behind those walls, and the doctors and scientists at the meeting. She knew that there was someone looking all around the world for patient zero. She wondered where her friend was right now, and if she was okay. But no matter how much she tried, it was impossible to think that anyone was living normally.

When the meeting began, Derek was too tired to speak. The others barely felt the need to keep going, without having anyone to encourage them. He looked at his mobile phone absentmindedly, and to his surprise, there was a message there. One with an unknown number and for a moment he thought it was one of those scams that would try to take money out of him. But he read something unexpected.

A man that introduced himself as Daniel proceeded to explain briefly how he got his phone number. Then, with even less detail, how he managed to find Neuren's home, without mentioning his real name, and how he wasn't planning to evolve many more symptoms. But as he read all that, Derek found himself facing extremely useful information about the worm, with a few ideas that the sender had. As well, the encouragement he needed was there; Daniel continued writing about how it was impossible to stop Neuren, but when the worm was defeated, he wouldn't have anything else to do.

_You have to prove him that humanity will live,_ Daniel said through the message. _A swift death is unacceptable; I couldn't kill him there. And if I called the police, he would eventually escape. I know; he has experience. He wouldn't suffer for what he did, and I'm sure there was no way for him to stop the disease, even if he wanted to. It's too evolved, and it can evolve even more. Yet I discovered a system that limits the worm's evolution rate, and you have to use it to your advantage. Work on what the worm it's doing right now as fast as you can. I'm sure that time will be on your side for now._

When Derek finished reading, he stood up, making Sharon lift her head. The other doctors, including the director, faced him. Derek then proceeded to slide his phone to the doctor closer to him; more specifically to his translator, and nodded.

"We have to keep going." _Time is on our side… Hopefully…_


	25. Just like years ago

A forum was created just for the occasion. On the fourth of September, to commemorate the _anniversary_ of PAX-12's discovery, a twenty-one year old girl decided to create an online site for people to discuss about the disease, and get support from each other. The site had an unusual large number of administrators and moderators, as many were just disappearing overnight. The girl, often referred as The Founder, was the first one to succumb to illness; not without leaving her mark on the world.

One of the hot topics was _how to stop the disease from home_, yet so far they hadn't found anything of interest.

Here and there, there was an argument between two and more members. Even though it was often eased by moderators, they were either skipped or it was too much for one person to stop alone. A policy from the site was to never ban someone, unless it was especially necessary.

Of course, Neuren had his own place in the forum, as he played a critical role. Often mentioned, there wasn't a single person who doubted that he had anything to do with the disease, everyone knowing that Spalin was wrong. As well not even a single person spoke well of him, nor tried to understand his reasons.

The last section added was the _wiped out countries_; in other words, countries in which every person died. So far there were very few, yet others had a population of less than seven people. Those people, with the last of their strength, wrote messages in the forum, hoping they would be read in the future by people who survived.

_I hope you remember me by how much I fought against PAX-12..._ A boy wrote. He was fifteen and the last inhabitant from a small country in Europe. His house was enveloped in darkness, with only the dim light from the laptop screen illuminating the walls. His parents, still lying on the kitchen floor, where like a feast to ravens. His younger sister, in a room with hungry wolves. And he, inside his room with the door closed and broken windows. He didn't dare to come out from his room to look at the mutilated corpses of the ones who he had lived with his entire life. Now the crows were waiting in line to make a feast out of him too.

Outside, a few birds shrieking, dogs growling and flies buzzing. The earth was becoming property of animals, just like thousands of years ago, when humans were struggling with the cold harsh ice ages.

When he posted his online letter, he had no regrets. He had lived a great life; happy, fun, with sad moments that made the happy ones even sweeter.

He closed his eyes, his belly growling from starvation. He heard a black bird screaming, alerting the others, and a loud fluttering of wings. Then silence, his conscience faded away into nothingness.

* * *

Caroline was asleep inside her room. With so many people dead, she was surprised that she was alive yet. The girl longed to speak with her best friend once again, but Sharon went to the doctors, believing she was Patient Zero. _Must be horrible..._ she thought with a sigh. _Knowing that you caused the disaster of today._

She looked at her phone. No messages, no calls, no nothing. She wanted to call someone, anyone, but either no one would reply or the signal was playing with her. Calling to another country would cost too much, and apparently it was being reserved to people who needed it; the police, the doctors, the government...

She went to the kitchen, hungry. There was only one sandwich, and that was everything she could eat. If she wanted anything else, she would have to leave the house and buy it; specifically, steal it. The stores were almost empty, but a few cans remained intact. Disease didn't kill plants or vegetables, for their luck. But nobody knew how long that would last.

The bread was hard as stone, inedible. Cheese, musty. The fridge, empty. Guessing it was time, she took the keys and left, without locking the door behind her. After all, who would be there to steal anything? There wasn't anything to take from her home after all. _Besides the laptop…_

Some parts of the street were surprisingly clean; the rest had the remains of marches against Spalin and his unjust war, sometimes with corpses with awful scars that Caroline wouldn't dare to look at. She didn't even want to think about it, so she focused on the path ahead. There, almost in the horizon, there was a figure outlined against the rising sun. The girl looked at her wristwatch, remembering suddenly it broke a long time ago. But at least she could be sure that she had been sleeping soundly that night.

The figure was an old woman wearing a nightdress. With a broom on hand, she was taking away all the dust that had been accumulated through the days. Caroline hoped to initiate a friendly conversation with her, maybe ask about why was she doing that, but the woman eyed her with such intensity that Caroline recoiled, turned around her head and continued walking to the store.

As expected, empty. A rat was nibbling a nut that it got from god knows where. Alerted from the human's presence, the rat ran away looking for cover, and disappearing through a small crack on the wall.

Most shelves were empty. Caroline managed to find two cans, and decided to leave the rest for the next person that walked through the door. It always felt bad leaving a store without paying but, being unemployed, she was eventually forced to. However, whenever she found a coin just lying on the floor, she went to a store and left it there to whoever would be working later. It was naïve, she knew, to think that normal people would just walk away without taking the coin; as little it was, it was money.

Two men walked into the store, arguing. For the look of it they seemed to be discussing about something for a long time. They too were looking for something to eat, as they were so thin that Caroline believed she could see their ribs from beneath the shirts. She dropped to the floor and hid next to the counter. However the two men were so immersed into their fight that they probably wouldn't notice a tree standing in front of them.

As Caroline waited for them to leave, she couldn't help hearing what the problem was. Both said that they had families to feed (referring only to themselves) and that they should take a larger amount of food. Much to Caroline's despair, that argument easily evolved into aggression, as both men tried to hit the other at the same time. One fell with a hard sound, footsteps warning that the other was approaching. Caroline thought quickly about how to stop them before a tragedy happened, but what could a small girl like her do against two grown men? If one of them spotted her, it was almost sure that they would try to steal the cans she was carrying, and they wouldn't say _please_.

As much as it bothered her, she had to run away from there. Hopefully they would end with just a few wounds, but that was no more than hopeless dreaming.

* * *

Upon returning, the door was open. Because of the shock, a can fell off Caroline's hands, then the other. She rushed to grab them and waited by the main entrance, scared of what or who might be inside. There wasn't any noise, making her own breath sound loud, echoing around the street.

_People from the movies do this all the time…_ She encouraged herself, swallowing, taking a timid step forward. But it was impossible, as she had no ways to defend herself, no ways to attack whoever went into her house. Now she regretted not having locked her door when she could,. _In the movies, the good always wins…_ She continued. But looking around her, she knew that reality wasn't a fairytale made true. It was harsh, difficult, unjust and confusing.

She saw briefly a flash of white, disappearing quickly. A person was indeed inside, but they seemed to be walking around, waiting. She was curious, but terrified at the same time. She left the cans on the floor and grabbed a long branch lying beside a tree. Then she walked in. Again, two men, though these two looked much more healthy. The one who had been walking turned around, first surprised, and then relaxed. The other was just sitting comfortably on the sofa, and gave a warm smile. He was the first to speak.

"Good morning. Miss Caroline, isn't it? We've been waiting. You've made quite a ruckus there."

Caroline kept silent, alert and confused, and slowly raised the branch she was carrying. The stranger was nodding, as if she was allowed to dispose of her _weapon_, and reassuring that they wouldn't harm her.

"Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Zachary Nora. This is my good friend Keita." Keita nodded respectfully in greeting. "You could say we are of the best doctors in the world."

"We were of the first researchers of the Neurax Worm, PAX-12." Keita interrupted, seeming slightly annoyed by the arrogant tone in Nora's voice. Before Caroline could ask, he spoke again. "We need you to come with us."

"Why?" She asked defensively, raising the branch again. "Where to?"

"To England. Don't you want to meet your friend again?" Nora replied, amused. "What was her name again? _Sharon_?"

The branch fell off Caroline's hands. Her heart was about to jump out of her chest, though not of excitement. Of terror, fear that anything happened to her friend, and fear for herself. Why would they want to take _her,_ of all people? The doctors were keeping silent, too; a very tense silence.

"Your friend is okay, if that's what worries you." Keita replied coolly. However, his next words came out in a murmur. "It's you who we are worried about."

"What, me?" Caroline said, prompting them to continue.

Nora gave a heavy sigh and stood up, stretching his legs. He grabbed a coat that was hanging from the window and went to the door, Keita closely following him. Without turning around, Nora urged crossly:

"Come on, Patient Zero. We need to know how to stop this stupid disease."

* * *

When Sharon saw her friend coming through the door, she was tempted to rush over to her and hug her for all the months they spent away, not knowing whether the other was alive or not. However, one glance at Caroline's face was enough to tell her to stay away. Sharon looked up at Derek, who was waiting by her side, but he said no word as he walked to the returning doctors. They exchanged quick words in hushed voices, probably discussing what to do next. Caroline was just looking away, frowning, without speaking at all, nor trying to listen what the others were saying.

After a while, Keita patted her on the shoulder and signaled her to follow. Caroline obediently did so; however her furious expression remained all the way to the lab.

"What did you tell her, then?" Sharon overheard Derek speaking, but she wasn't interested in the two men's conversation. Instead, the girl turned on her phone, putting old music she had stored in it, and began listening to it with headphones.

"The truth. That she is Patient Zero." Nora shrugged. Then he gave a deliberate contemptuous look at Sharon. "What's that spoiled brat doing? This is a great discovery."

"Well, first of all, we don't know if she truly is Patient Zero or not. Second, it's her best friend after all; she must be bothered by the whole situation."

Nora looked away, clearly bothered, and clicked his tongue disdainfully.

"We haven't slept in days, yet we're keeping a girl safe and fed for whatever reason. I assure you I am more bothered by this." He turned his head around again, this time looking into Derek's eyes. "You might be skilled, but too soft. That slows you, and that's exactly what we don't need right now." They both stared at each other for some seconds, until Nora sighed and walked past him. "I'll tell you if we find anything."

Derek didn't reply. He wasn't angry, just dumbfounded. _So it's because of me that we are losing?_ He wondered, his mind reeling. He shook his head, trying to clear it. _No, he's only tired, and says those things without thinking…_

After some time, and a quick glance at Sharon (who still was listening to music, apparently asleep), he followed Nora into the meeting room. Whatever the outcome to Caroline's inspection, they had to keep working.

* * *

"_Buenos dias!_" Luan continuously repeated that phrase, as if practicing. Kazuki, at his side, offered help from time to time; yet Luan insisted that he could speak without his translator. Now they were in Spain, and the doctor always remembered how Spanish just was a slightly weirder Portuguese. He could do this. "_Buenas noches!_"

Kazuki seemed about to say something, but preferred to keep quiet. He had noticed how terrible he was speaking, but it was strange to see Luan being so enthusiastic with anything, so he let him be. That, and he would be in a terrible mood all day.

They were waiting in a bench besides a large building, just like the one in Brazil and England, the one that they always used for meetings. Kazuki found himself wondering why the buildings looked so similar from the outside, yet different from the inside. They had been in many countries already; from Canada to Russia to Australia.

Their latest trip to South Africa had been certainly bothersome. Not just for the arid heat and the ridiculously high amount of mosquitoes, but because Luan couldn't leave without touching a certain subject: the execution of the infected population, some years ago.

And even though the country had been infected again, they didn't seem to regret it. The countries all around them had been wiped out, yet they still had a considerable amount of people alive. They stood by the argument that those people would have died a long time ago if it wasn't for what they did.

Luan hated to admit that he, in part, had been right. According to the records they had, the amount of people alive was just below the one of his home country. However, was it because they executed a few infected people a while ago, or was there something else?

The door opened and a middle-aged man stepped out. Smiling, he invited the two guests to go inside.

"Buenos noches!" Luan said, hearing a snort of laughter coming from Kazuki. The translator stepped forward, standing beside his client.

"He means to say good morning." He said in fluent Spanish. Luan crossed his arms and answered in his mother language:

"I could understand that."

"Good morning to you too." Said the man. "Come inside, we have much to discuss today."

"Tell him our names." Luan instructed, getting over his pride. Kazuki nodded, and proceeded to introduce both himself and Luan to the new person. After that, he asked for his name.

"Demián Tapia. Pleased to meet you. Now that introductions are over, let's proceed."

They followed through a large corridor, full of windows to see the outside. _This wasn't in the other buildings…_ Luan realized, taking a glance at the exterior.

When he was waiting outside with Kazuki, he was surprised to find that everything looked colorful and full of life. Under the sunlight, the trees sparkled with dew and the streets were illuminated with a delicate tone of orange. The whole place, as expected, was deserted. Yet it seemed as if no catastrophe ever happened, and the world was contently living a normal life with their families at home. Perhaps that was the reason Demián was so cheerful. Perhaps that was the reason they had a calm afternoon.

And perhaps that was why he felt so dreary when he looked through the window. People were lying there, probably homeless, and probably dead. He had ignored what the world was really like for a second, enjoying the warm breeze and sunlight on his eyes, when just around the corner people were blinded by the sun, burned alive by the overheated wind.

At the end of the corridor, Demián was waiting next to a door labeled _"Lab"_. Luan went inside, and before Kazuki could go in, he was instructed by another doctor to wait inside.

"You see how nice the day is today?" Demián spoke, and Luan found himself wondering what to say. Now he wished that Kazuki had followed them. "Oh, sorry. I forgot you don't speak Spanish."

"I can understand that…" Luan murmured, while Demián looked at him slightly amused.

"Okay. I can speak your language. Now follow me, there's something you need to see."

Luan was still processing his words when he saw the doctor walking to the other end of the room. He walked quickly to catch up, careful not to trip on anything. There was a large door there, and he could hear squealing and scratching on the other side. He didn't need to be told what was behind that door.

"Rats." Hearing that sound so many times in his own lab, he became so used to it that he barely noticed when he entered the room, but now it was loud, and he could guess that there were many, too many rats trapped there.

"Countless. Beautiful white rats with red eyes. Perfect for experiments. Now…" Demián grabbed a small cage standing on a table beside the door. A smaller door was on the wall, just a few inches tall. Demián placed the cage at the entrance. The door was opened from above, and then from there a tiny, white rat appeared, clearly terrified. The man closed the door before many more could get through.

Luan raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed.

"How many rats, exactly?"

"For starters, if you opened that door right now you would be drowned in a sea of rats." Demián pointed with his finger to the larger door. "Millions I'd say."

"And what is this you were so eager to show me?" Luan asked, anxious to drop the subject. Though he made experiments with rats too, he considered the method they were using to be extremely ineffective, not to mention cruel. Yet he was in no position to judge, and decided to remain silent on that matter.

"This!" He left the cage on the table, making sure Luan could see it. _Yes…_ He thought, inspecting the white creature closely._ This one is infected with PAX-12._ "You see it's blinking? Now, look what happens when I do this."

He took a bag of something from under the table. Brown pellets that looked more like dog food and nothing like something rats would eat. But Luan guessed they were starving and would eat anything that they offered them.

Demián then took a jar of transparent liquid and a dropper. On a small plate, he put some pellets of food and damped them slightly with the dropper, now full with whatever substance was on the jar. Then he gave the food to the rat, making sure it wouldn't escape, and waited.

The rat sniffed curiously, and began eating almost at once. It was so hungry that it probably didn't care whether the food had poison or not. Maybe it realized that it was that or dying from starvation, inside an ocean of other rats. When it was finished, the small creature went to the corner of the cage, its whiskers twitching nervously. Luan noticed how, gradually, blink by blink, the rat's eyelids were moving slower, until it could blink normally; as if the worm was gone. Luan stared, amazed, at the creature as if it just turned into a demon. It was still alive, though it was unknown if it made the worm disappear or not.

Demián answered that question for him:

"Our analyses revealed that the Neurax Worm is still resting inside its brain; yet with this and following this formula, we might be able to lessen the symptoms." He shrugged, placing every object where it was before. "It's a lead, at least."

"And a good one, I'd say. However, how many rats died from that liquid?"

"Very few. We didn't try it on more than fifty, and about three to five died."

"I see…" It wasn't safe to release that kind of drug to the public: more people could be lost before they had the chance to save anyone. Yet Demián was right; it was a lead. He handed Luan a smaller jar of the same liquid, inside a box and covered in papers.

"You know, this could fall while you're on the plane."

Luan nodded his thanks, taking the envelope. Then he followed him outside, where Kazuki was waiting, back against the wall, clearly bored. When both men came out, he straightened and gave an inquiring look at Luan.

"It was brief, but enough." Demián said, returning to the language he preferred, Spanish. "I hope this is enough to help on your research. Good luck, and tell me if you find anything else. Remember: we're working on parallel."

Kazuki repeated everything he said in Portuguese, and Luan nodded without any more words. That kind of communication was too slow, and there was no time to lose. He turned around, the translator following him, and Demián taking the rear.

_Good news, finally._ Luan thought to himself. _What a waste of rats though. They looked pretty._


	26. A disease like this

Moonlight filtered through the windows, casting misshapen shadows to the inside. The place was only illuminated by the outside light, dim and calming blue. Some people, already sleeping, were snoring loudly. Derek, uneasy, had to get up and walk around the building until he would be sleepy. All those tired days in which he wanted to sleep, needed to lie down on a bed and rest for two days, and now all that drowsiness seemed to go away from his brain and he was restless, almost eager to go outside and run. He just walked to the window, hoping the sight would make sleep return to his eyes.

He heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, his eyes wide, he saw that the director was going towards him, and stopped by his side gazing upwards at the moon. This man whose name Derek didn't know always slept in a different room, away from the others. For what reason? What did his _room_ had that made it so special? Why he never said anything when he was in the meeting, listening to desperate wails from the doctors and scientists that were working day and night? Derek longed to shoot all those questions at once now that he had the chance, but he didn't dare.

To his surprise, he was the first to speak:

"What a lovely evening."

As strange as it was, Derek had to agree with him. The moon wasn't full, but it was shining brightly. Just a few clouds were covering the sky, giving a nice touch to the starry sky. It's been a while since they saw a night like that; not gloomy and dark but beautiful and calm. This night in particular had the kind of darkness that made them feel safe, young again like when they were just tiny humans, looking for their mother's protection.

But what did the night have to do with the cure? Derek wondered.

"You've been working too much. Enjoy tonight."

_Can't you just say a bit more?_ Derek thought to himself, letting out a sigh. He just obeyed and sat down on the cold floor; there was a sofa on the director's other side, but he decided not to sit there. Because, as expected, the director took that seat instead.

His light blue eyes seemed to be sparkling, the light from the outside adding to its natural color. He said nothing more as he, too, seemed to be waiting for sleep to come to him.

Derek braced himself. It was now or never.

"Why aren't you working?" He knew that was a direct challenge to his authority, just like a declaration of treachery, but the possibility still existed and it was higher than ever.

The other man just tapped his fingers on the sofa's arm and leaned more comfortably on his back.

"I _do_ work." He replied without turning his head. Derek waited for him to continue but apparently that was it.

"You don't work as much as us."

"And you don't work as much as that Russian doctor." He countered. Derek knew he was talking about Alkaev.

They fell silent. Derek forced his mind to stop thinking about Alkaev and all the others that died recently. From what the records said, two billion of the world population had been lost, counting those who died from old age and unborn babies. People weren't even trying to have a child, fearing that they would fall to disease too early and wouldn't get to live their life. Time didn't exactly seem like it was on their side.

"Don't you fear sickness?" The director said suddenly, jolting Derek back to the present.

"Huh? But I'm sick already, like all of us."

The director stopped tapping his fingers, but he didn't reply at once. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, and Derek knew it would be useless to ask anything.

"Who brought it here?" He spoke again, his tone becoming more and more impatient, if not angered.

"I don't know. Someone who went to the outside or it came on its own."

"I wasn't sick with that worm, until yesterday." He said regretfully. "Someone seems to be after my life."

_Why after _your_ life?_ Derek wondered, without saying it out loud. Neuren was after everyone after all, not just one specific person... right?

"I'm pretty sure that's not the case." He reassured. "But we'll find the cure in time, Mr... Uh, director." He stammered, suddenly afraid that he sounded rude by not knowing his name. The director stared at him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"How can you not know the name of your superior?" He demanded, though his tone was as calm as ever. When Derek didn't reply, he sighed and continued. "Well, I guess it is better that way. Just call me Smith."

_Is that your first name or last name?_ Derek asked internally. But Smith was standing up and walking away from him, not even saying goodbye._ Or is that a name you just came up with?_

Derek continued staring at the moon, too lazy to stand up from the floor and sit in the sofa, now that it was free. He didn't want to sleep that night, and there were more than two hours left before the others woke up. He thought about going to the laboratory and doing some research alone, but the door that lead here was locked and he was quite sure that Bellerose had the key. Waking her up was okay if he wanted to test his guts, but she wouldn't react well to this.

The police should've been working on finding Neuren, but they said he was well hidden. It was as if he didn't exist, or his information always seemed to lead to someone else. Now they were looking for a connection between those people, but they were so different from one another...

Getting in contact with him could be beneficial for both parts. There should be something that Neuren desired more than anything, more than killing the human race. But according to his videos there was nothing he needed.

_A video?_

Neuren's way of communicating with the world was through videos that he uploaded in certain anonymous websites. Some were down; some were reuploaded by normal users and taken down again.

But there was no message directed to him, apart from a few indirect words from the news or presidents' speeches. Whether he really controlled the worm or not was still unknown, but one thing was obvious: he wanted attention. And now that he had nothing better to do, Derek decided that it might be time to give him what he wanted.

He stood up, slowly, from the floor. His legs were stiff from the uncomfortable position he was, but he didn't stop to stretch. Somewhere, they should have a camera. They would need it if they wanted to record what they found. Derek believed that Luan had taken one on his trip around the world. _Surely we have a spare one?_

There was a door that had been closed since Derek first went to the meeting. When he opened it, a cloud of dust almost drowned him. He coughed and covered his eyes, regretting that he wasn't using glasses at the time. A few seconds later, he looked inside. No lights were turned on, and he didn't want to in case he woke up one of the others. From his pocket, he grabbed his phone and used the screen to illuminate the room.

He stepped inside and instantly heard something cracking under his feet. Probably the wooden floor, or accumulated dust. There were boxes on either side, and the doctor knew that there were spiders and cobwebs lying around somewhere. Maybe turning on the lights wouldn't be a bad idea after all.

The door made a loud, screeching sound as it was being closed. Then Derek turned on the lights quickly and returned the phone to his pocket. The room was bigger than he imagined, extending far and wide, almost completely filled with boxes of all sizes, blocking the walls from his view. Somewhere, there should have been a camera, but looking for it one box at a time was an insane idea.

_This is going to be a long night…_

* * *

"Doctors seem to have a lead." Josh spoke slowly, tiredly, trying to conceal his feelings within himself and stare blankly ahead. He couldn't be less concerned about it: about the worm, about Neuren, about the cure, about the program. "Apparently, some rats are reacting well to experimental chemicals." But the world relied on him to deliver the news, to keep them updated and raise their hopes. "Now, they are testing different drugs, and they want to test them with humans soon."

It had been a few days since Kate has died, passing away to a better life. The scars that she left were still raw, and the thought of her dull, but beautiful eyes stung like a thousand needles, burning like the depths of Hell.

She was in a hospital, clearly in a terrible state. Many cables were connected to her body, her skin was pale and her arms were so thin that Josh could almost see the bones underneath. She was so frail, that even wind could break her.

The doctors that were working there sighed constantly; that sound alone telling him the terrible news. At the moment he wished to be deaf and blind, so he could live by the fairytale that his beloved friend would be okay, that she would be the first to recover from that mind-controlling disease. Josh didn't believe in any gods, but he found himself praying for her safety, at least in the afterlife.

"Miracles don't exist…"

He constantly murmured those words as warm tears streamed down his cheeks. Even though he tried his best to hide them from Kate, she was so perceptive that she could see his red eyes, even when the tears were completely dried.

She tried to stay strong, but she could barely move. However, her words were filled with determination:

"Now you listen." She seemed as if she wanted to raise her hand, but she was so tired that it was impossible. "You better continue with the news."

Josh was startled, and looked up at her. He wasn't expecting such a strong expression, despite the sadness and pain that her eyes revealed.

"But… if you aren't there…"

"Make a promise! People needed us to keep their hopes up. Now they need you!"

For a moment, he was speechless. He wanted to protest, but he knew she didn't have much time left. Arguing would lead them nowhere, so he closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

When he opened them again, she was asleep. _I wonder what she is dreaming about, _he thought, smiling forcefully. But, once again, the warm tears that so desperately he wanted to hide flowed again from his eyes. He stood up, not saying anything else. After all, there was no one to hear his words.

_What an irresponsible request_, he told himself, shuffling through the papers. _Then again, I guess I made an irresponsible promise too._

He jolted back to reality; the camera was still recording, and the other people who worked with him were staring at him with concern in their eyes. One was about to offer to stop, but Josh's gaze told him that he would refuse.

"In other news, Doctor Derek Thompson has recorded a video."

In his apartment, Neuren almost spit his drink into the screen, blocking his mouth with his hand before it happened. He had to hit pause in order to swallow the water he was drinking, and process Josh's words. Why would he record a video? He had heard Derek's name everywhere by now. In the newspapers, the TV and even in some websites; the man famous for discovering the Neurax Worm, renaming it PAX-12 and working since the beginning for the cure.

Grabbing a towel to clean his dripping mouth, Neuren hit play to continue watching.

"Good evening to everyone that is watching this message. My name is Derek Thompson_." For one recording a video for the first time, he seems awfully confident,_ Neuren thought, remembering the first time he recorded one, and how he struggled to find the right opening words. "I bet you have heard my name before, as the one who discovered the disease that's concerning all of us. And I'll be honest with all of you, things are not looking well."

He was surprised to hear that; the guy in the news had said that everything was going smoothly. In fact, everyone who spoke of the cure had said that it was going great, that it would be ready in time.

"We have a long way to go, but so little time. Even if we have more than half cure ready, people are dying all around us, and it's literally around us."

Neuren guessed that it meant doctors were dying, too. He took a break to check out the cure progress: sixty percent done. But the amount of deaths was so high that it was possible to see why Derek was worrying.

"Yet you must know why I'm here: to give an update of our research, and a little message for humanity… and for Neuren." _Wait… what? I'm not part of humanity? _Neuren thought, indignantly. Derek made a short pause, breathing deeply, before he continued. "Why did I become a doctor in the first place?" He began. "To save lives."

* * *

_I lived in a small family house, in the country. It was autumn, when my mother called me for lunch. I was probably just a little kid; about nine years old? Details are not important, I'm sorry._

_My mother called for lunch. I don't remember what we were going to eat, but it was just the two of us. I think you can guess that I'm an only child, and you don't need to know the rest of my private life. Anyway, that was that fateful day._

_I had been playing outside with a ball, enjoying the fallen, red and orange leaves all around me. I can remember it so clearly; I wonder if that didn't happen yesterday._

_When I went inside my home, a sweet aroma overwhelmed me, making my mouth water. She was always great at cooking; but then again I guess everyone would say that about their mother. But I sat down in my usual chair, my mother in front of me. We didn't have a TV, and we didn't want one either. It was better to have someone to talk with rather than seeing someone else speak constantly, without the option to reply._

_But I noticed she was being different that day. Not her usual cheerful attitude, for sure. It was so easy to know when she had something on mind, her expression always revealed what she wanted to hide. And then, I was sure she wanted to hide something from me, so I wouldn't be worried._

_I had to insist; it was the only way to make her speak. Maybe, I could've given her words of encouragement or something, but I was too young to think clearly._

_And with many days of insisting, making her get angry at me for being so annoying, and being grounded, I discovered the truth. She had been taking medicine, gone to the hospital many times, because she had a terminal disease._

_A terminal disease… maybe just like PAX-12… Ah! Sorry, I forgot Neuren likes to call it Neurax Worm._

_Either way, I bet you can guess the rest of the story, right?_

_I spent many days in the hospital, seeing those coated people running in and out of many different rooms, sometimes with tired, but satisfied expressions. I will admit that I eavesdropped on some of them, and when I heard something like 'The surgery was a success!' or 'Ah, don't worry, you'll get better in no time', I couldn't help but admire those people. People so confident in their own skills, and bringing unimaginable joy to their clients—their patients._

_Seeing them, I was sure that they could save her. I was sure that, even if the disease was terminal, they would be able to save my mother, and she would recover and tell me about her daily activities at lunch._

_But that never happened._

_Every day I went to visit her, I knew that her condition was just getting worse. I don't know why they kept her there, maybe because they couldn't leave a human being alone to die. And one day, she just vanished from the bed. Everything was so neat and tidy… perhaps too tidy. Yet the smell of death hung in the air like a pendulum, and I could perceive it better than anyone._

_Being so young and with no parents, it's obvious I was adopted right away. But that's a story for another day._

_My mother had died in a hospital where doctors refused to leave a patient with a terminal case. Even then, I admired their commitment, and that's when I decided my career._

_I became a doctor just for this sole moment. For when I would be here, recording this video, as I fought with a terminal disease that people think it's incurable. I became a doctor to prove them wrong, to prove it is possible to stop a disease like the one that took my mother away… a disease like PAX-12._

_Our research might not be going as fast as I wanted, but it's going somewhere. And until it's done, I won't let this body of mine die._

_Now, the question I have for Neuren is this: why did you become what you are? Working with a pathogen must mean that you are some sort of microbiologist. But what made you a microbiologist? I'm willing to say it's for this moment, too. The moment you would threaten us with a terminal disease, and even if it weren't terminal it would be dangerous. 'A worm that controls the human brain…' This whole incident has the word 'revenge' written on it. But, is it worth it? Is it worth risking even your own life to kill thousands of people (good people) that you will never meet?_

_Ah… the battery of the camera seems to be dying. I knew from the start that it didn't have much left, and let me tell you, it cost me to learn how to use it. I just hope that such a long message is recorded alright._

_Don't worry humanity. I'll give my last breath to find this cure. It's not your time to die yet._

* * *

The video ended there, and the screen returned to Josh's face. He was saying something, but Neuren didn't bother to hear it. He was shocked, altered by the doctor's words. His mind was racing with many confusing thoughts.

He leaned back on his chair, his body suddenly becoming tired. For once he realized how tired he was, and tried to count how many days he stayed awake. But since he always made sure to block the sunlight, he never knew when a day finished and when another started. It wasn't like he needed to know anyway; now that food was free, he didn't even need to work.

_Why did I become what I am?_

He internally repeated that question, but he didn't have the answer for that. Derek mentioned that good people do exist, but Neuren had a hard time believing it.

Then he shook his head, walking towards the worm and sitting on the large sofa next to it.

"I can't believe I'm thinking about this. It's not like I can stop it anyway." He stopped for a moment, a silent moment. Then Neuren raised his head, looking at the computer. "That's true… I can devolve symptoms. But I don't have enough points for that."

When the worm didn't reply, he stood up and sat down in his usual chair again. He was so hungry that walking a few steps exhausted him.

"Do you really want me to devolve some symptoms?" Neuren asked the worm, without looking at it. His eyes went from symptom to the other, thinking. "Yes, I do remember that…" He said suddenly, lowering his gaze. "You don't want to kill them. You want to control them." Looking at the screen again, his cursor went at the symptom that would fix everything for the Neurax. Inside Neuren's head, the worm seemed to repeat the same words over and over again: _Transcendence…_

He sighed, devolving a few, non-lethal symptoms.

"No, I'm not giving up!" Neuren snapped, looking at the small yellow creature. "And no, I didn't have a change of heart either. But things might get interesting if I make it easier for them." He devolved the symptom that Dan _accidentally _evolved: Aphasia. "You can forgive me if I devolve something that you shouldn't have, right?"

But the worm was silent, so Neuren decided not to speak anymore. He kept long time thinking about his answer to the doctor's question: _why did you become what you are?_

* * *

**I don't know when, but I think it's time to fix that horrible formatting of mine. I'll have to edit every-single-chapter... awgod.**


	27. Afraid?

"I was expecting pink trees everywhere."

Kazuki, walking beside his client, didn't say anything. He thought he could understand how Luan felt when they were in Brazil. The country he knew and loved overflowed with life and activity, now it was like a Chernobyl wasteland. When he traveled to the UK, he had seen something similar: deserted streets and people too scared to do anything. But he never thought it could turn out worse, with even the trees dying. It couldn't be possible that the trees were infected too, right?

He laughed bitterly at his own foolish thought. Luan eyed him, concerned, and realized that it would be better to keep quiet. He thought about the mental image he had about Japan. Seeing the gray scenery in front of him, he believed it impossible that this place once was colorful.

They finally arrived to the building, recognizable for its shape. A woman was waiting by the entrance. She looked young, perhaps too young to be working there.

"Hello!" she said. Kazuki was so lost in his own thoughts that he forgot to translate whatever she said. Luckily that wasn't necessary, since the girl greeted them in English.

"Good afternoon, pleased to meet you." Luan inclined his body a bit; Kazuki had told him that it was a sign of respect and politeness.

He nudged his translator with his elbow, making the man jump, startled. Then Kazuki greeted her in Japanese, and she replied in the same way. They spoke briefly, but Luan couldn't understand anything they said. Finally, the girl spoke in English again:

"They are waiting for you, mister Carvalho."

She opened the door and waited for them to go in, then closing and locking it.

"What's her name?" Luan asked. Kazuki's gaze was lowered, and he didn't seem to be paying attention to anything.

"What?" He raised his head and looked around, finally stopping when he faced Luan.

The other just sighed and crossed his arm, continuing with his eyes closed.

"Control yourself. If you're suffering, think about that girl over there," he whispered so she wouldn't hear, opening his eyes again.

"I'm sorry..."

Luan took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He felt it, something that could only be classified as bloodthirst. The worm that he managed to control fairly well until now was taking over, trying to claim his body as its own. He couldn't let himself be controlled by anger, because he knew how quickly that symptom evolved, until he would desire to kill.

"It's okay," he answered, hoping that would convince him as well. "She's talking, isn't she?" With his head he pointed to the girl that, somehow, managed to pass them and walk in the front.

Kazuki interrupted whatever speech she was giving and asked her to repeat it from the beginning. She giggled slightly and did so.

"Doctors are waiting upstairs, and meanwhile I'll explain what we do here." Without looking back, she pointed with her finger to a large computer resting on a corner of the room. "That is the supercomputer. It can do what other machines can't."

Luan looked at it. It was larger than any computer he had seen before. He remembered how he heard once that the first computer where as large as just one room, and how they couldn't do much. Then, people began making them smaller and more useful. Now that supercomputer was as big as a hundred regular ones, and whatever it could do, it was beyond his imagination.

"For example?" he asked, and Kazuki repeated in his own language.

"Scan someone's brain, detect any other diseases, tell us the right treatment for those diseases and now, trying to find the cure for PAX-12."

_Can it really do that?_ Luan wondered, looking at it with wide eyes. Nobody was using it, but he could tell it was turned on because of the lights all around it. He didn't know what they meant, but believed they weren't important anyway.

"Everything in this facility is controlled by that computer," the girl continued explaining. "And, if a mistake is made, director Segawa will control the computer from that room." She pointed towards a small door, with light filtering through a small window at the top.

They continued in silence, through the elevator, and to the main room. It was the same layout as always: a large, white circular table with chairs all around it. Some people were sitting there, working on different chemicals. The largest chair belonged to the director, Luan believed. A man was there, focused on the laptop in front of him.

"That is Tobei Segawa," Kazuki explained. Luan was surprised that he knew about that man. "He was once a famous hacker, and he should've been sentenced to jail for stealing information, but now we need his abilities here."

"I can understand that, but how did he become the director?"

Kazuki didn't know the answer, so he just proceeded to ask the girl about that.

"He's proven to be quite loyal and smart. After the death of our original director, with no one to take his place, he decided to take over," she explained cheerfully. It was obvious that nobody disagreed with the decision. "And here we are. You can talk to him, if you want."

They went over to him, while the girl just headed off to another room. The label contained characters Luan couldn't understand, but if the layout was truly the same as the other buildings, then it was probably the laboratory. _I never knew what exactly she is doing here; _Luan thought with a sigh.

Segawa was so focused on the screen that he didn't see the two newcomers approach. There were several numbers and graphs there. Luan faked a cough, forcing the director to face at them.

"Greetings," Luan said, lowering his head. Kazuki repeated what he said and proceeded to introduce them both.

Segawa answered something at him and returned his attention to the screen. By the tone of his voice, Luan could tell that he wasn't being friendly. Kazuki's confused expression confirmed that thought.

"What did he say?" he asked in a whisper, even though they wouldn't understand him anyway.

"'_Don't bother me.'_ That's what he said."

There was someone sitting a few chairs away that was looking at them with an apologetic expression. He seemed to know that Sagawa was going to act that way.

"Sorry for that, he's just…" He couldn't finish the sentence, probably because the director would hear him and be offended. He stood up and inclined his head to Kazuki. "My name is Yakumo Karubo. If you have any questions, I'll be pleased to answer." Segawa eyed him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. "I bet you know who Mr. Segawa is. If you treat him with respect, everything should be fine," he whispered, and walked around them. "Follow me."

"I'd still like to talk to him personally," Luan thought out loud and waited for Kazuki to translate.

Yakumo turned around and for a second he seemed thoughtful, not sure how to answer. There was nothing he could do after all; it all depended on his director's mood.

"Maybe later he's okay… but for now let's go."

Luan just sighed and obeyed, following Yakumo to the room where the girl had gone before.

"Oh, yeah; who was that?" he asked. "The girl that received us, she barely looks like a high school student."

"You're right. That is Sumie Kamura, and she is a high school student," Yakumo explained, nodding. "Well, I guess the correct term is _was_, since there aren't any schools active."

"I don't think that's weird at all," Kazuki interrupted his translating to reply. "After all, we have two girls on our facility." Luan believed he was referring to Caroline and Sharon. "I know what you're thinking; we keep them because Caroline is Patient Zero and Sharon is Derek's patient. But didn't he once bring an old lady to inspect her? Maybe that's what they're doing."

Yakumo nodded, as if he could understand what they were talking about.

As expected, the room was a laboratory. The girl was lying down, cables connected to various parts of her body. Despite her friendly expression, it was obvious that she didn't want to be there. She just wanted that the cure was ready, that the world would be normal again. When she was younger, she had hated school and wanted to graduate quickly. Now her wish was to return to those days, waking up at the morning, studying despite how tiresome and boring it was, with the boring teachers and boring subjects. Luan could see a small tear running down her face, but didn't say anything and just walked deeper into the room.

"Did Ms. Kamura tell you about the supercomputer on the first floor?" Yakumo asked suddenly, and Kazuki nodded without bothering about translating that to Luan. His serious expression revealed that he was rather curious, and felt a little left out. Kazuki chuckled slightly; it was good having something to laugh at. "I guess she explained it quite briefly, so here's the detailed version."

Another, smaller computer was resting on a dark corner of the room. It was turned on already, the screen black. When Yakumo moved the mouse around, the screen changed to show various icons; it was some sort of program that needed explanation.

Without turning around to face the visitors, Yakumo began talking.

"Every computer in this building is connected, and the central point is the supercomputer below us." He made a short pause.

"And what exactly are you doing with them?" Luan asked. The other man beckoned them closer, pointing to a few chairs so they could sit down and watch.

"Director Segawa is currently… well… trying to find Neuren's exact location."

Luan felt surprised, and his eyes widened. He had travelled to many countries, and even though Neuren's name had been mentioned many times over, nobody seemed to be working in finding where he lived, or at least where he was working at.

"Any leads?" he asked after a pause. Yakumo shook his head and sighed, saddened.

"The guy, wherever he is, knows how to keep his information in secret." Then he clicked on some icons on the computer. "But Segawa is intelligent, almost a genius, and refused to go empty-handed."

"What is that?" Luan asked impatiently, suddenly feeling a rush of hope running through his body.

"Symptoms," Yakumo replied, clicking each icon in turn. "All known effects of the Neurax Worm, and some that we didn't know about." Then he continued in a whisper: "It is stronger than we all thought."

Luan, unable to speak, just stared at the screen and tried to read what it said._ Mentally manipulate host…_ Those words were repeated over and over, and though he already knew about that, it still terrified him.

"It's possible that Neuren uses something like this to control the worm. At least that's what director Segawa said."

"Can this tell us if and when the worm will evolve?" Luan spoke eagerly, but his hopes faded quickly as Yakumo shook his head again.

"If the disease is controlled by a human, it's unpredictable." Then he seemed to think about something. "But Neuren once said that not even he knows the limits of the worm's power. It might be possible for us to know, someday."

"We don't know if that _someday_ exists…" Luan murmured, and stopped Kazuki before he could translate that. "Thank you for your cooperation. Might I speak with Segawa now?"

Yakumo was silent for a few seconds, really long seconds. He turned off the screen of the computer, but still didn't stand up nor replied to Luan's question.

A loud noise was heard outside, and their attention was drawn instantly towards the source. Then, loud yelling in incomprehensible language.

"Our director… he seems to be the one that suffers the most from PAX-12," Yakumo explained slowly, ignoring the noise. "We've been all taking drugs to lessen the effects, but they aren't working for him. Eventually, we decided that he should stop taking them."

Luan's head spun around to face Yakumo. "Why?!" he yelled.

"Because…" He seemed to be struggling to say the word. Taking a deep breath, he answered: "Because we don't want to waste them."

* * *

Someone was running at full speed through the streets at night. His hands were covered in a red liquid, as well as parts of his clothes. The police was pursuing him, constantly ordering him to stop, but he pretended to be deaf. He continued running, occasionally dodging someone who was idly walking or people who passed away in the middle of the road.

Quartz was at the lead. His heart was beating fast; everyone knew he didn't have much time left. But he continued to do his job as always, refusing to rest, and a few times taking the drugs that the doctors sent him to stop the symptoms for a while.

The other person was already tired. His steps were becoming slower and slower, and his body was lowering, like he was about to collapse at any minute. He finally stopped and kneeled, his breath coming in quick gasps. Quartz ran over to him and grabbed both of his arms, tying them together with handcuffs.

Back at the precinct, Quartz ordered some policemen to interrogate him. Usually, he interrogated suspects, but lately the aggression symptom took control of him, whether he liked it or not. They couldn't allow him to speak with anyone anymore, so now he just took care of investigations, when they were needed, and pursuing suspects.

"Sir, we've been informed that Dr. Derek Thompson has recorded a video." Someone approached him with a small laptop, with a video on the screen. It was paused.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Play it," Quartz ordered, sitting down on a chair. Immediately, curious people gathered around the laptop to watch.

"I've seen it before. Thompson is just telling his story and how he became a doctor," someone whispered at the back of the group. "It makes you think a bit, why are we still working if we might not live after all?"

Quartz didn't reply, but wondered about his words. He ordered and encouraged everyone to continue working, even if they saw people dying around them. He knew that some were hiding in their homes, waiting to be rescued. And everything they could do so far is prevent more deaths by stopping street fights and keeping murderers.

_Why did I become a detective? _he asked himself, barely paying attention to the video. Everything he saw on the TV was probably the main reason. Every time he went to the news, they were talking about a murder, thieves that attacked in plain daylight and people who were afraid to go out from their homes because of that.

He wanted to reverse that situation, and he believed the most effective way was to become what he is now. _Yet now the situation is the same, but we're powerless._

"What do you think about this, chief?" someone spoke suddenly, making Quartz jump in surprise. The video ended, and he wasn't paying attention, so he didn't have an opinion of it.

Without replying, he played again the last part of the video. It was just a message to Neuren, for what he could see. But he practically confirmed that the cure would be ready in time and the human race wouldn't go extinct.

"It's obvious what I think," Quartz said, standing up. "We'll go on normally, and we'll wait."

Everyone replied with a "yes sir!" in unison, while Quartz went alone into a room and closed the door behind him. It was his office, as messy as ever. He closed the doors and made sure that no one was listening before he took out his phone from a pocket and dialed a number. The person on the other side picked it up almost instantly.

"What does this mean, Smith?" he asked, trying not to raise his voice. "And don't come saying you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Smith replied smoothly.

"The video! The one that Thompson recorded that was uploaded just now."

"I believe he recorded it a week ago." Quartz was growing impatient and it took him some seconds before replying. However, Smith spoke first. "What about it? He did that without my authorization, but I don't think he needs it anyway."

"Is it really going like he said?" Quartz interrupted. "Will you have it ready before everyone dies?"

"What makes you doubt that? Of course we will."

Something in the way he said it wasn't entirely convincing. Quartz thought he was only wishing, or guessing, that the cure would be ready in time. He knew that there were people working all around the world, but the worm seemed quick to kill. Quick enough.

"Do you ever go out?" he countered, still keeping his voice low. "In a week, you could walk all around your city and see just one person. And probably one who just murdered someone else." He made a short pause, waiting for a reply. When there was none, he continued: "We don't have time."

Smith snorted mockingly, trying to contain his laughter.

"You aren't afraid for the people. You are afraid for yourself… and maybe _of_ yourself."

"How dare you?!" he yelled suddenly. He seemed to be about to say something else when Smith interrupted.

"We won't have it ready for you, but you are not our first priority right now," he continued mildly. "I have to go now. Good luck with that worm."

"Wait…!" But Smith had already hung up. His ears ringed, unable to believe it. While Derek confirmed that everyone would live, Smith confirmed that he would die soon. "I don't know what I expected," he told himself bitterly. He shook his head, clearing it. He wasn't afraid of dying, and he would prove it.

He went to his drawer. Something shiny flashed in the moonlight that filtered through the window. He grabbed it, his eyes shining as well.

"So you say I'm afraid, huh?"

The gun was loaded. Staring at the window, he raised it to be on level with his own head. If he was going to die, the worm at his brain would go down with him.

"And we'll see again in Hell." Frustrated, he noticed his hand shaking a bit. Then he laughed. "I see, the worm is the one who is afraid."

Slowly, he placed his finger on the trigger. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, with his right hand still shaking, he pulled it. The sound coming from it left him deaf, like a bomb exploding on his ear. But his death was instantaneous, and he couldn't hear anything else.


	28. Giving up hope

Sharon walked slowly towards her friend. Caroline was sitting down on a chair, head down. She barely acknowledged her friend sitting down beside her, and lifted her head a bit, without looking at her.

"I feel like a rat."

Sharon nodded in understanding. Caroline had gone through too many experiments lately, and she felt as if the doctors didn't care about her at all. So far she had endured it, hoping that everyone would get the cure sooner, but now she was losing hope.

Derek was the only one who had a bit of empathy for her, but that didn't stop him for treating his human experiments as lab rats.

"I'm sure this will be over soon. The world will be normal again," Sharon reassured, trying to sound convincing. But Caroline shook her head sadly.

"You know as well as I do that the world will never be _normal_ again."

How many people had been lost already? _Too many to count_ was the most used answer. Countries lost their inhabitants, and the structures were like old ruins. After the death of a president or someone to take the authority, people succumbed to the disease's effects, killing each other, acting due to childish impulse, and creating havoc until only one remained. When that happened, the very last person died of aneurysms.

Caroline stood up with effort; she was feeling as tired as everyone else. After all, she had been dealing with the disease for a long time, more than anyone else. It truly was amazing that she was still alive. They were making progress with her so it was like a miracle, but things were looking grim for everyone, even if they managed to make a cure.

She walked towards the lab. It was early in the morning, maybe five or six o'clock? She couldn't care anymore. Her steps were slow, and her vision blurry. Her legs were weak and shaking uncontrollably, trying to sustain the weight of her body.

_Something is wrong…_

The tall girl placed both hands in front of her, rotating her wrists and making sure that they were there. But they felt as if they were fading, like a ghost. When she looked up, she couldn't focus. Her eyes couldn't look at something in particular, and they moved everywhere desperately. Coldness descended from her spine and into her legs, making them give up. Finally she collapsed on the floor and closed her eyes, barely hearing the horrified screams of her friend and the footsteps of doctors running towards her.

"What happened?!" Sharon exclaimed, kneeling over the other girl.

Derek placed two fingers in her neck, checking her pulse. He was flooded with relief when he noticed that she was still alive, but just unconscious. Another doctor grabbed her and took her to the laboratory.

"She fainted, probably due to exhaustion. She'll be fine." _I hope…_ Derek thought, unable to share his fears with the young girl in front of him. "Call me if you need anything," he said, before turning around. He saw Bellerose walking quickly towards them, a worried expression in her face. She forced a smile when she saw Sharon's distress, and whispered something in Derek's ear. Then, they both walked away into the laboratory, leaving Sharon alone.

She stood up and sighed. Now was the time when she needed to talk to someone, anyone; but Caroline was too tired and depressed, the doctors were too busy, the director was just weird and quiet, and her family never picked up the phone when she called. _They aren't dead!_ she told herself, but deep inside her mind she knew that was just an excuse to feel better.

Her body fell on the couch. With her mobile in her hand, she began playing an old game that might have been popular someday. People had no time to worry about playing games… or programming them. The world prevented people from having interesting ideas and keeping them in their brains; Neuren made sure of that with the memory loss symptom.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" Derek asked when he and Bellerose were in the lab. People were running all around the bed where Caroline was lying, testing her brain with various different machines.

"Follow me," said Bellerose, and led Derek into another room with a small computer resting on a dusty desk. There was an e-mail on the screen. "Luan sent me this yesterday. You know he's in Japan now, right?"

Derek nodded, crossing his arms and walking closer to read. It was not too long; well, Luan never was a man who spoke more than the necessary words. But there, he explained in some detail his trip to Japan.

Sadly, they couldn't get anything out of the director. Apparently the guy was a famous hacker with bad temper that somehow gained the trust of everyone that was working there. He basically kicked them out of the building when they finished talking to one of the doctors.

What they managed to find out is the symptoms that PAX-12 evolved until now. Seeing the list, Derek couldn't believe that a disease could have so many symptoms. Then again it was the Neurax Worm, the creature that killed half of the world population and the main topic among survivors.

Derek's eyes widened when he read the last paragraph of the e-mail.

_There weren't too many "future symptoms" but, one we should worry about is the Coma symptom. In a near future, maybe by the time I finish writing this letter, the worm will evolve again and people will fall into a deep sleep at random times. I'd say "drink a lot of coffee" but that won't work against a symptom like this. Make sure you take care of Patient Zero; we still need information on her condition._

The doctor's head spun around to meet Bellerose's eyes. She just nodded in understanding.

"Caroline isn't just asleep. She is in a coma."

"At a time like this…" Derek whispered. "Do they know?"

"No, but we should tell them," Bellerose replied, turning around to face the other doctors. Maybe they didn't know, but they felt that something was really wrong. Years of experience were enough to warn them; Derek felt terrible for not noticing it before. "There was something else," she said suddenly, closing the window that had the e-mail and quickly opening another.

It was another e-mail from Luan, something he forgot to mention when he wrote the first message. It was a longer one, with some parts written by Kazuki. It was unknown which parts though; Derek just knew that because it was clarified at the end of the message.

And if the first e-mail was surprising, this one was even more. There was a symptom that very few people reported, but it could decrease their own research if the worm inside their heads developed it as well. It was aphasia. But the readings from the 'machines' —as Luan called them— revealed that the symptom was no longer effective.

They were working on theories on why that happened; maybe there was a way to revert the worm's symptoms after all, and they worked day and night to do that. Not just lessen the effects with drugs, but completely disable them.

It was just after they discovered that, and offered to help, that the director decided to kick them out. According to someone that was working there, he preferred to do everything alone, believing that others would ruin his job and he would have to work twice as hard to fix others' mistakes.

There were no more messages after that, and Bellerose turned off the computer before leaving the room.

* * *

Derek sighed, getting mentally ready to face a distressed crowd. It was up to him to deliver the news, just because Bellerose didn't have the patience to deal with them. _It's not as if I have patience either,_ he thought irritably. But he couldn't refuse; after the death of Alkaev, and with the director barely ordering anyone to do something, people had been relying on him to lead them. He was supposed to work in the cure, while telling others what to do, while trying to calm down the test patients that went there. Sometimes, it was too much to bear and he left Nora in charge; even if he wasn't especially trustable, he was the only one that would like to have some authority over others.

Everyone was murmuring to each other, wondering why Bellerose had arranged a meeting so early. The time was eight o'clock, the rising sun already shining strongly through the window, blinding those with the misfortune of having their chairs facing directly at them. Smith was one of them, but he was wearing sunglasses so it didn't bother him too much.

When Derek stood up from his spot, everyone fell in silence almost instantly.

"Don't think we don't know what's going on already." Surprisingly, the one who spoke was the usually gentle Keita. Now his voice was as sharp as a snake's fang. "That girl is in a coma because the worm evolved, right?"

The crowd began talking again. However, a single, high-pitched voice stood out the most.

"Coma?!" she shrieked, running to Derek's side. "You told me she was asleep!"

"And she is," Keita replied before Derek could speak. His sarcastic tone pierced her heart. "It's just an incredibly long one."

Derek shot a sideways, defiant glance in his direction. He leaned over to Sharon and murmured:

"I didn't know the worm had evolved. I'm sorry." He couldn't think of any reassuring words to say, so he was quiet for a few seconds. Sharon didn't want to listen anymore, so she ran away before someone could see the tears that were about to run down her cheeks. Derek sat down again, with a heavy sigh.

"Well down, British guy," Keita said, clapping his hands together in a slow tempo. "Making a young girl cry. I thought you people were more polite."

Some British scientists and doctor faced in his direction. Some were about to argue, but Derek stopped them just in time.

"Doctor Keita is just suffering from the worm's effects; we can't blame him." He felt offended by the young man's lack of tact when speaking, but he had to remind himself that it was just the Neurax Worm speaking with Keita's mouth. There were others going through the same effects, though none were as open as him when voicing their thoughts.

"And what do you expect us to do?" Nora said after a few moments of tense silence. Derek thanked him silently, and Nora seemed to understand because he nodded in acknowledgement.

"In Japan, they are working to…"

"To revert the worm's symptoms; we know that already," Keita interrupted. For the shocked murmurs of his co-workers, it was obvious that just he knew about it. "But that won't make the worm disappear, right? We would be just trying to prevent a few deaths, and not working on how to kill it completely." Derek hated to admit it, but he had a point.

"So even good news can backfire, huh?" Nora said, laughing bitterly.

Everyone shared his bitterness. They needed to know they were progressing at least, but the changes were so gradual, barely noticeable, that sometimes they felt as if they were stuck in place, swimming against a strong current that prevented them from moving forward.

"We should give up," someone said at last. Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd instantly, as if they were thinking just that. Just a few voiced their disagreement.

"We can't do that!" Derek yelled suddenly, standing up and slamming the desk with both hands. He wasn't angry, just surprised that they would try to quit when they had made so much progress.

"Derek's right," Bellerose spoke, looking at the crowd with fiery eyes. "The glass isn't half empty; we can't abandon the other half of the world that's still counting on us!"

"Then why don't you work on it yourself, heroine?" another scientist stared at her with the same intensity in his eyes. That fire almost made even the brave Bellerose recoil. His name was Alexis Grünewald. He had been working on the cure in his own country, Germany, even before it was confirmed that the worm was a lethal pathogen. "But you won't make it. I've been trying for years and I wasted the last years of my life."

One by one, people were standing up and leaving. Since they had nowhere to go, they just went inside a room to lie down on their respective bed or sofa. After a while, just five people remained; among them, Derek, Bellerose and Smith. The latter sighed deeply, taking off his sunglasses, and stood up to go into his private room.

The ones who remained looked at each other, shocked and defeated. Five people working on a cure was not enough, at least with the time they had left. For all they knew they could fall into a coma in just a few minutes.

"Give them a few days," Bellerose said gently. "They probably just need to rest and recover their strength before they decide to help us again."

"That's the kind of decision that a kid would make," Derek murmured resentfully.

"Don't forget that one of the worm's symptoms is _Immaturity_," she reminded him. "See you later."

Derek was the last one to leave the room. _Well, I might as well catch up some sleep,_ he decided, heading to the place where everyone slept. He was so sleepy he could barely think; and maybe Bellerose was right, they just needed to rest. _I will regret this later,_ he thought, closing his eyes.

* * *

**I wasn't sure whether to go with this idea or not. But I went for it -yolo-.**


	29. Inside a Killer's Mind

The lone creature rested, unmoving, enclosed. Without eyes, it was unable to see its surroundings, but perfectly capable of understanding them. It tried moving, crawling a little to the front, but its whole body ached, making it squirm in pain. Several holes were in its soft yellow body; scars from when that man was so frustrated with himself that he decided to hurt an innocent, powerful being.

It was starving. Without another being's brain to feed off, the creature felt as if it was slowly getting thinner, and fading. Whatever kept it alive, it was unknown to the blind worm. Trying to move again, ignoring the pain and led by an instinct of survival, it collided into a cold wall. Beyond it, its little helper was probably doing something. He wasn't very smart, for what the worm could tell. If it was doing everything by itself, everything would've been over a long time ago. Humanity would forget their gods and pray to the worm instead.

Turning its tiny head to the left, the worm could feel the presence of the man who _saved_ it, in a way. He was speaking, making loud noises that the worm couldn't understand. If it went inside the man's brain, it would be possible for the creature to learn every single word that it´s host knew. Without their mouths to speak, the worm would be unable to talk for itself; but that wasn't necessary. The worm only needed to control what humans thought, and making them act in consequence, favoring the creature inside them.

But the Alpha Worm knew: everything was not going as expected. Neuren just wanted to kill the whole world, oblivious to what would happen to him if he succeeded. His objectives differed and collided with the worms'; but it was impossible for it to change his mind. Over the long years that proceeded the time when the worm was completely defrosted and active, it constantly tried to infect its first victim, the man who decided to call himself Neuren. But it was never expected that the ice that shielded it would weaken it so badly. The primary instinct to survive allowed just one of those creatures to remain safe for decades, centuries even. However, without the abilities they had thousands of years ago, their very existence was doomed to extinction.

If every human being was bound to die anyway, the chances for the worm's survival in future years were slim at best.

The man was silent, before talking again. He seemed to be talking with someone, but the worm was sure there was no other living being nearby. Maybe its senses were weakened as well. Or maybe its predictions were real, and the man was just an idiot.

The worm's body trembled suddenly, its skin stretching painfully. Whenever something evolved, it would cause the same effect on every other worm on the world. It was surprising that humans couldn't notice something like that: a worm taking even more space inside their skulls.

Probably they wouldn't need to evolve so much if Neuren just decided to evolve that symptom already. _Transcendence, _which would ensure that every human would live equally at last; just for the good of their god, the Neurax. They wouldn't get any more diseases, as each worm was capable of defeating bacteria and viruses efficiently, and with the only concern in their minds being ensuring the worm would live a nice and prosperous life. Because of that, it would be impossible to get into any more conflicts, be it wars or just street violence.

However, Neuren found it impossible to put aside his hate for the world. Obviously, he was an idiot. But a smart idiot, at least the worm had to agree on that. No other human would be able to get so far, even with the software he had. Their future was uncertain, but if there was something the worm didn't want, it was Neuren's plan to succeed. If his dream became a reality, the worm had no more chances of survival, except waiting frozen again until another species as intelligent as humans would discover them again.

That would be impossible. It would take too many years to get to that evolutionary state again, and nobody knows if the Earth will exist then. If humans survived the Neurax outbreak, the Neurax itself would find a better chance to infect them again in the future. Either way, the universe wouldn't make the mistake of creating humans again if they didn't survive; not the creature that destroyed their own planet, and not the creature that condemned their own species.

Neuren jumped to his feet, staring at the screen in a mixture of despair and fear. The worm couldn't be sure why he did that, but it was usually because he screwed something up with the software and humans were taking steps forward. Better for the worm, yes; but it was frustrating knowing that he was at the mercy of someone like him.

Hopefully, Transcendence would be a Plan B if everything else failed.

Knowing Neuren, he wouldn't have thought about it.

The worm, feeling weaker every second, resumes its afternoon map. Even a mass-killing pathogen deserves to sleep, after all. Neuren continued yelling in fear, but eventually he calmed down. Whatever happened to him, it was over.

* * *

Something tapping on the glass cylinder woke the worm up. It moved its head slightly, squirming and twitching. It could feel Neuren's presence nearby, talking to it as if it could understand what it was saying. Whatever he was saying, he seemed troubled. The worm knew perfectly that, at some points, his human conscience acted against a certain symptom, refusing to let humanity suffer from something so terrible. Would that be the reason he refused to evolve the Transcendence or Suicide symptoms?

It was hard to believe, but it could've been true. Neuren usually found himself shaking, with the computer mouse on his right hand, waiting for the perfect moment to click. It took him several moments to finally evolve the symptom; mentally he counted to a certain number, or he spoke to the worm trying to calm himself down, believing someone was there to listen and approve the horrible deeds he was committing. How ironic that even the worm believed he was doing it wrong.

The Neurax felt weaker with every passing day. Maybe this human realized it too. It hasn't been evolving either; as the worm feared, Neuren was slowly regretting his decision. That was so frustrating.

The worm moved closer to Neuren. It could feel his presence right in front of it, watching it with a cold stare. The hatred he was feeling was coming in waves, and once in a while he said something the worm couldn't understand. Why did he believe that he was talking to another living being? Either way, the worm continued moving, slowly. Luckily the cylinder was small, so it reached the _walls_ in some minutes. Neuren continued talking alone, he had noticed that the worm was getting closer to him. He laughed, and spoke again. Whatever he said, he had a mocking tone.

The worm inspected the cylinder, hoping to find a weak spot or a crack. But being so small, so vulnerable, even if there was a small opening in the glass, the worm couldn't break through it. It could only hope that its offspring would leave that glass prison and infect Neuren at last.

However, the worm suddenly felt something warm on its skin. Then, it was slowly being lifted and taken off from the cylinder. The worm was placed carefully on Neuren's palm. It was strange that he wasn't taking care of his own health. Once there were millions of people alive on the Earth, and from those, Neuren was the one who feared the disease the most, especially since he knew what it was capable of.

Neuren was holding it gently, like a mother holding a newborn baby. His hand was shaking slightly, as if he was still uncomfortable with having such deadly creature so close to his own skin. Even confused, the worm couldn't oppose to any human unless it was inside their brain. The worm decided to lie still. After trying to break through the glass, and after so many days barely feeding itself, it was feeling exhausted. The human once again said something, but the Neurax barely heard it as it passed out.

* * *

**I won't promise that the hiatus is over. I tried to make this chapter as long as possible, but without dialogue, and from the worm's perspective (thanks Loominarty for the idea). Though if I kept going with this I was going to make a huge spoiler for the future chapters.**

**Anyway, I saw that a lot of people see a deadline as a bad thing. Just so you know, I wouldn't set it if I thought it was gonna be counterproductive. The deadline was supposed to prevent me from procastinating, knowing that if I ever got too close to this fic's end, I would stop writing. Especially since I have too many other fics waiting to be written, and some originals as well; also some books to be read, games to be played, series to be watched, and the list goes on.**

**Now that I think about it, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, right? I don't think I'll do something for this particular fanfic, but I might write an one-shot in my FictionPress account. We'll see.**

**Have a nice day.**


	30. Winter Is Not Over

The ground was cold, colder than what they were used to. Snow was falling, however not as a storm, and Luan had to be grateful for that.

He was walking alongside Kazuki, both wearing tight coats that barely protected them from the frost outside. A muscular man was walking a few steps in front of them; he was clearly more prepared to endure the cold, walking as swiftly as if he was just taking a walk in a park in the middle of summer.

"How does he do that?" Luan grunted inwardly, frustrated every time he tripped on the snow. With both arms pressed close to his body, falling meant meeting the snow face-first, risking a severe cold. With PAX-12 waiting in every corner for its next prey, he had to be careful against other weaker diseases.

Kazuki was having a difficult time as well; he was used to the snow in Japan, but the layer below his feet was thicker than he expected, and he as well tripped a few times for being overconfident.

"Are you okay back there?" The man had turned around and was looking at them as they walked slowly through the snow. "A storm is coming this way, so you better hurry," he explained, waiting for them to catch up. "We'll wait inside until the snow passes. It won't be long."

"Easy for you to say..." Luan murmured, shivering. He couldn't bring enough strength to reply, so he just nodded and kept walking.

"You both speak English," Kazuki said suddenly.

"So?" The doctor managed to say through his chattering teeth.

"You know I don't speak this country's language, do you?"

Luan stopped abruptly and stared at him. A blast of cold wind almost took him away, ruining Luan's chance of complaining.

Finally they reached a small building. It looked almost the same as it did for other countries, but way smaller and better prepared for the weather outdoors. The man opened a door, inviting his guests in. The sudden change in temperature was almost suffocating, but Luan relished it as he stood panting heavily, inhaling some of the hot air to warm the inside of his body.

"We need a temperature here that our bodies can handle without wearing a lot of coats," the man explained as he passed next to Luan. "It makes it easier to work."

Luan noticed a few people wearing lab coats. If they were outside, they would freeze in a matter of seconds.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous when you go outside?" The sudden drop in temperature couldn't be good for anyone, but for now, Luan was thankful for their methods.

"You know as well as I that bacteria need to survive in order for us to study them. Now, that being said..."

"Yes, PAX-12. Take us to..." He was stopped by a hand tapping on his shoulder.

"It seems you have some matters to discuss. If you need me, I'll be on the first floor." The man then turned around and headed for the stairs. Like everyone else, he was exhausted and overworked, even if he tried to conceal it. Luan then thought about how he walked through the snow despite being tired, and he couldn't help but admire the guy.

"How are we going to talk to them?" Kazuki used Portuguese this time. Since this was the language Luan was most fluent with, conversations went faster this way.

"There ought to be someone who speaks at least English," Luan responded, trying to convince himself. Then he grunted. "Why don't you know this exact language?"

Kazuki was probably going to give an irritated reply, but he controlled himself. Luan was, after all, his client. There were more important things than his annoyance right now.

"There are hundreds of languages, there ought to be some that I don't know of." Kazuki looked around the building; all windows were closed; only letting a few beams of light in. Despite that it was dark inside; nobody had turned on the lights yet. "You have to wonder why this exact country is so important for your investigation."

"That's an easy one," Luan replied, sighing. He began walking to the stairs, leaving his coat in a sofa nearby. Kazuki followed and did the same. "This is the country that rejected people from the outside before the first outbreak began. This could have been the only uninfected country if it wasn't for..."

"Yes, I know," Kazuki said when Luan fell silent. "The only reason Greenland is infected is because of the Trojan Planes."

"You said Trojan?" Luan and Kazuki jumped at the sound of a voice. A man had been sitting on a sofa at the other end of the room, reading a magazine. Now he was half-walking, half-running towards them.

"Yes... I have," Kazuki said cautiously, replying in English. "Why?"

The man looked thoughtful. Then he extended his hand and introduced himself.

"Hagen Pallesen. I'm from Denmark, but moved here before the first case of PAX-12 was discovered."

_A typical Danish,_ Luan thought, seeing how this man had dark blonde hair and clear blue eyes. _Could've been German, too._

"There is some place you'd be interested in visiting," he continued, grabbing the magazine with both hands. "Once you're done with your investigation, come and see me." His tone was mild, but Luan couldn't help but feel a tingle of curiosity at his words.

He thanked Hagen with a nod, while Kazuki did his usual reverence, before heading to the stairs.

A laboratory was waiting for them. Alive with people and test animals, it seemed like a whole different world from the other countries. Luan remembered then why he was there in the first place: Greenland was one of the few countries that survived the first outbreak uninfected, and even now the number of people suffering from illness was very low. The government decided to stop people from entering or leaving the country, thus only caring for infections inside their own borders. Luan and Kazuki were a special case; working to develop the cure was the first priority.

Luan then remembered Hagen, and wondered if the guy was unable to return to his country with his family because he wasn't allowed to leave. Then again, he probably didn't have any family left, considering how fast the disease was killing. There were rumors on the streets, saying that half the world population had been lost already. In just a few months, humanity could be extinct forever. Luan gulped with effort, a cold sweat running down his face. He shook his head; now wasn't the time to think about it.

The man that led them to the building was already working. Luan forgot to ask for his name, but he thought he wouldn't need his help anymore.

Instead, an old man approached him. If he weren't using a coat with a nametag on it, nobody would've guessed he was actually working there. He had a long, gray and messy beard, and his head had only a few hairs left. His eyes were staring around, unfocused, making him wonder if this man was blind or something. Malik Brunner was written on the nametag, along with the word 'director'.

He said something in a language neither Luan nor Kazuki could understand, extending his hand in greeting. Luan did the same, but said nothing. A quick glance at Kazuki revealed he didn't know what to do either.

"I… excuse me…" he began. The man's eyes drifted and landed on the ceiling, as if he wasn't listening at all. He spoke again in his language. Luan was tempted to click his tongue in frustration, but thought that would be disrespectful. _Then again, not replying to him isn't very respectful either._

A little girl approached them suddenly. It was dusk outside, so she was wearing pajamas, getting ready to sleep early. Luan wondered if they were related somehow; he wouldn't be her father, right?

She said something, and Malik seemed to wake up from his daydreaming. Then turned around and crouched, replying to her in a kind voice. Luan began thinking about what they were talking about; maybe the girl didn't want to sleep because there were monster lurking underneath her bed, and she was afraid. Then Malik was explaining that monsters didn't exist and she shouldn't be afraid. _Unless that monster was PAX-12._

"Hello," the girl said suddenly in English. Her accent wasn't very good, but at least understandable. "My grandpa wants me to talk to you."

Luan was still trying to process her words, when Kazuki replied in his place.

"Hello. What's your name, missy?" he asked, trying to speak as slowly as possible so she didn't have any trouble.

"Angerdlarnek Inaluk. What is your name?"

"Ang… uhm…" Kazuki seemed to have a difficult time saying her name, so he ignored it for now. "I'm Kazuki Akio, pleased to meet you."

The girl repeated what Kazuki had said, but in her own language. Malik seemed pleased with her, and said something that sounded like praise. This theory was further proven when the girl smiled sweetly. _It's good that for some things you don't need words,_ Luan thought.

"What is that boy with you, Mr. Akio?" the girl asked suddenly. It was impossible to know whether she was curious or Malik had told her to ask.

"You gave your name backwards; now she thinks Kazuki is your given name," Luan pointed out with a mischievous grin. Kazuki just ignored him, but he seemed amused too. Before he could reply, Luan decided he could introduce himself.

"I'm Luan Carvalho. Pleased to meet you." He leaned forward and extended his hand, but was surprised when the girl didn't return the shake. Instead, she translated what he had said to the older man. His hand retreated slowly and awkwardly to the side of his body.

"My grandpa wants to talk to you in that room," she said, pointing to a room behind Luan. He turned around, and he saw a small door that he hadn't seen before.

"Uhm, what did she say?" Luan whispered to his companion. "Her English is a bit strange, so I'm expecting you to help me."

"Her grandfather wants to speak in private."

"Grandfather?" Luan asked out loud, looking at them back and forth. "Don't they have different last names?"

"Is that important?" Kazuki replied, beginning to sound irritated. "I'm more concerned about how we'll talk. I don't think she can say those difficult words you doctors say."

Luan crossed his arms, nodding in understanding. He looked around the room, hoping to spot the guy who guided them to the building. _Maybe I will need him after all._ He told Kazuki to share his concerns to Malik as well.

"I can say big words!" Angerdlarnek yelled suddenly, pouting her cheeks in a spoiled manner. She didn't translate what Kazuki said to her grandfather, so Malik just stared at him as if he just tried to do something inappropriate to her.

"Great," Kazuki complained to himself. "After that terrible visit to my country, we have to come here and take care of children."

It was obvious that he was losing patience. Luan stopped searching for the man and looked at his translator with genuine concern in his eyes. Seeing his home country in that bad state, it was no surprise that Kazuki had been feeling down lately. It seemed as if it would never recover from PAX-12, or from the scars it had caused and would cause in the future. Luan then thought about his own country, knowing it would be in a worse condition now. He shivered when he remembered the last time he'd been there, without believing there could be something worse than that.

"Just remind her that we're doing this for her own good, and for everyone else, too."

Kazuki still looked irritated, but spoke to the girl again in a softer tone. Luan was surprised to see a few people looking in his direction; unable to hold their stares, he returned his attention to Malik. Something was bothering them.

"So, what happened?" Luan asked, after seeing the girl was leaving.

"She'll ask for someone who can speak Mr. Brunner's language and mine. This probably won't be as fluid as you'd like, but it'll do the job."

"In that case, let me do the talking," Luan ordered, and when he saw Kazuki's surprised expression, he continued: "I can speak English too, and Brunner wants to speak in private. I believe the less people in that room, the better. Try to do something while I'm gone, like talking to the other people and trying to find new information."

"Information about what, exactly? The director will tell you everything you need to know."

"I have a bad feeling," Luan whispered, even if nobody would know what they were talking about. "A feeling that they might be hiding something. A feeling that they might know something we don't, and that they don't want to share."

"And you think I can persuade them to tell me something they're keeping in secret?"

Luan then saw an unknown man walking towards them. After greeting him, he walked towards the room, closely followed by Malik at a slower pace. Luan turned around, ready to follow them.

"Just try," he replied, as he walked through the door.

"I hope you realize you're putting too much weight on my shoulders..." Kazuki muttered before turning away.

* * *

Derek sighed from the bottom of his lungs. People were sitting in their usual places on the round table, but this time they weren't discussing new drugs or ways to fight the disease. They weren't even having a friendly conversation with each other. Everyone was absorbed in their own world, drinking a cup of coffee, tea or hot milk, according to everyone's preferences. A few were drinking warm and tasteless juice, almost unknowingly.

Bellerose approached the table, holding a plate of cookies. They looked as if they had been baked recently. She placed it at the center, hoping everyone would be able to reach it. Only a few nodded their thanks, while others just stared, seemingly blind.

"Do you want anything?" Bellerose asked Derek, with an unusually gentle tone. Derek was taken aback by her sudden change; the French doctor now seemed more like his grandmother than a fellow coworker.

"I drank some water earlier, I think I can manage."

At that moment, food wasn't scarce. People who raised animals and planted vegetables to sell still worked as usual, knowing that it was up to them to let humanity live until the cure was ready. However, they too were dying, and very quickly. The only reason they were able to survive until that moment, and well-fed, was only because other humans wouldn't need to eat anymore. _Because dead people can't eat,_ Derek thought. Something crossed his mind for a split second, but he pushed the thought away to the back of his mind. That was something he knew no human could do. _That's ridiculous!_ But something dark told him that the world was in despair, and even with the worm —or actually, _because_ of the worm—, people wouldn't think twice before recurring to cannibalism. _Let it be one of my fantasies…_

"Dr. Thompson?" Bellerose asked, noticing he was tense and nervous.

"Call me Derek," he murmured. "Don't worry about me."

"You already know the news, don't you?" Bellerose asked, looking tired. "Smith has died last night."

"I know," Derek answered. Now, they had no leader, no one to guide them or to represent them to the other countries. Slowly, he realized, they were losing, and the disease was winning. "Do you know where Luan is?"

"Greenland. Someone spoke to him a few hours ago; it seems he believes that's where the first worm was born."

"What?" Derek was shocked, yet he couldn't raise his voice. "But Caroline _is_ Patient Zero, and she has never been there… has she?"

"She hasn't," Sharon replied, appearing behind them. She took a cookie from the plate, seeing that no one else was eating. "I would know. Or she would tell me. But maybe, Neuren travelled to her house or something like that, and that's how she got that thing."

Both Derek and Bellerose were surprised. Sharon didn't usually speak up, she never showed off her intelligence. In reality, she was the opposite of Caroline. While she couldn't consider her best friend as dumb, she had to admit that she was very impulsive. While Sharon, on the other hand, was rather laid-back, and always thought before doing anything. Sometimes, that would lead to thinking too much, doubting too much, and wasting precious time. She liked to think that that's why she and Caroline were such a perfect combination: the two had something the other lacked, and by joining those two things, everything seemed possible. Luckily, Sharon's patience and Caroline's cheerful attitude made it impossible for them to argue.

Sharon felt incomplete, misunderstood and lonely. Her eyes had lost the spark of humanity; the doctors usually whispered to each other, gossiping about how she resembled a living corpse rather than a person. In any other circumstances, the others would have offered to make experiments on her. After all, she didn't seem to feel anything. Her mind was broken beyond recognition, though some doubted it was the worm's effects.

However, right now, everyone was living because they were too tired to die. It wouldn't be long until rotting corpses covered the floor. Derek imagined that scenario: the bodies of the people reunited all around him, dead, with sightless eyes and pale skin. Lungs that can't breathe, hearts that can't beat, limbs that can't move. He shook his head.

Bellerose was silent for some seconds that felt like an eternity. In the room without sounds, even their heartbeats made an echo. Then, the sound of a chair moving was like an explosion to everyone present; they all looked up in surprise. She was standing up, looking all around her. Her right hand slammed the table, making her companions even more surprised. She cleared her throat, all signs of her first compassion gone.

"All around the world, people are still working for—"

"Please, not this again." Someone crossed his arms and snorted. "Are you giving us the emotional speech now? Wake up, lady. This is real life. And in real life, humanity is over thanks to a random guy's selfishness."

Bellerose slammed the table with her hand again.

"Okay. Then what are you going to do now?" she snapped. No one was able to reply. "You're going to die of boredom rather than PAX-12. If you have nothing else to do with your lives, then continue with that cure and stop complaining."

"She probably was Snow White in her last life," a doctor whispered to the person next to him. The other let out a snicker, but stopped when he saw Bellerose's glare.

"Yet she's right," Derek stood up for her. "We have to do something, at least to keep us distracted. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well try."

"Why? I'd rather sleep all day," someone spoke up.

Murmurs of approval rose through the room. Nobody seemed to agree with Derek, even Bellerose was keeping her thoughts to herself now, and Sharon returned to her corpse-like state.

"Because others are still working while we rest. Even Dr. Carvalho is running through various countries to find information for us. And if you really want to die, then you can work so you die faster."

Bellerose was barely surprised to see the gentle doctor speak like that. He hated it when one of his patients died, especially when their disease could be prevented or cured. Never mind the reason, people stood up one by one, walking slowly towards the lab. His short speech apparently worked; they didn't regain the motivation to work, but at least they were moving now.

"Thanks," Derek said suddenly. Bellerose looked at him, not knowing how to answer. "I'll need you now to keep them in line. I don't want them to lose hope again."

"All right," Bellerose replied, sighing deeply. "But I'll warn you; even I am losing hope now. Our efforts might be fruitless in the end."

"I don't know what happened to my family, yours is dead," he snapped, but then he lowered his voice to a whisper and added, "Sharon's best friend is in a state she might not recover from. Is there anything else we can lose apart from our lives?"

* * *

"Well, well, well. Don't tell me anything," Segawa said. Kazuki translated everything he said, word by word. However, his next words didn't need any translation: "Carvalho Luan, Kazuki Akio," he pronounced, pointing with his finger at them. "Yes. I am aware of everything that surrounds this darned disease, including the people researching it. I could've researched your whole life history, but I had better things to do."

"He's just trying to scare you; he would need hours, even days or weeks to do that," Yakumo whispered in Kazuki's ear. He thought this wasn't the perfect moment to translate it to Luan.

"What do you want? I'm busy, and you're wasting precious time of my break," the director continued, resting his head on his hand with a bored expression. His tone revealed how irritated he was, maybe because he was far from finding any useful information about Neuren.

"I've been told that you know how the worm evolved so far," Luan began, in a firm voice. He didn't know how young Segawa was, but he could tell he was young. At least, five years younger than Luan. He knew that, in terms of rank, he was below the genius hacker. _In this world, those kind of rules don't apply,_ he thought grimly. _He either cooperates or we all die._ "I would like to know what you found out, exactly."

"And what's in for me?"

Luan repressed an exasperated sigh. He couldn't lose his temper; not now, not even with the worm affecting his brain. He could feel his body's temperature rising, as he repeated himself that it was the worm playing with his emotions.

"Your life," he replied, as calmly as his body would allow. "That information could be vital for our research. Please cooperate with us, Mr. Segawa."

Segawa was thoughtful for some moments. Then he nodded.

"I gave up on this life a long time ago. But if I can live a little longer, I might end up as a hero in history books, and I will live forever. Okay, watch this."

Segawa turned his laptop screen towards the two visitors. Various programs and text files covered the screen, all of them in Japanese. Luan leaned closer to watch, but after a while he thought it would be useless. He was the only one in that facility that was unable to read whatever was written on that computer, and it probably was too much for Kazuki to translate at that point in time.

"That is a list of every symptom that the worm has developed so far," Kazuki explained, after hearing what Segawa had to say. "Also, it shows how the worm spreads, and various unique abilities."

"What kind of abilities?"

"The Trojan Planes is listed as one," Kazuki replied, pointing with his finger. "Heat resistance, cold resistance, drug resistance. It seems that it was because of Neuren that the worm has grown the vessels —or tendrils, as he calls them— that allows it to control people."

It was exactly like the icons Yakumo showed them earlier. Segawa had them listed on a text document, giving detailed descriptions of each one, including the date when said symptoms were developed on the worm. There were some marked in red letters.

"Those are features the worm doesn't have at the moment," the director explained. "But it had them at some point. That's where the date comes from." Luan scrolled down the text, seeing that there was some text in blue at the end. "Ah, my latest discovery. You'll never guess what that is."

"No, I won't. Will you explain?" Luan replied, not controlling the tone of his voice this time.

"No need to growl at me like that. Yes, you must translate that," he added when he saw Kazuki hesitate, and then continued. "I'm trying to find the limits that Neuren mentioned. Those are a few symptoms that the worm could evolve, but hasn't. At least not yet."

Both Luan and Kazuki were impressed, as well as some people that were working nearby. Knowing how to treat a deadly symptom before it developed could prevent thousands of future deaths.

"As amazing as it sounds, I still don't know if there's a pattern or something to the worm's symptoms. Neuren seems to be taking his time, doing everything when he wants; otherwise the worm would be at its limit. If not, there's something preventing him from developing every single symptom and other features at once." He took a pause to think, drinking from a cup of coffee he had beside him, on the table. "I was trying to find what it was, but I haven't slept in two days," he complained, sighing and rubbing his eyes.

"I see…" Luan thought out loud. He told Kazuki to write down anything crucial that was written on the screen. "Anything else we should know?"

"Yes. The girl…" he began, but realized that Kazuki was too busy writing to translate. He waited patiently until he was over, even though he was feeling rather impatient. "The girl," Segawa repeated, "the schoolgirl you saw on your way here. She was connected to the computer, was she not?"

Kazuki nodded before Luan could reply. Segawa continued, interrupting whatever the Brazilian doctor had to say.

"A few of her symptoms vary from those of our doctors. I don't know what it means, but maybe you can make something out of it."

"It's just her symptoms that are different?" Luan asked hurriedly, anticipating another interruption.

"We all have the same basic symptoms: insanity, for example. But a few seem to take longer to develop, especially the newer ones. This includes the _removed_ symptoms; some of us still have them."

Everyone became quiet at once; even Kazuki. At first, Luan couldn't understand why. He looked around himself, his gaze stopping on a glass of water. Nobody was moving it, yet he could see ripples on the surface. His head felt light, as if he was about to faint at any moment. Then, the ground shook violently, making him fall. A few folders fell on top of him. Luan only hoped that everyone else was okay; but he was unable to focus his attention on him.

It stopped a few seconds after. Shaking, Luan tried to stand up, failing in the process. Kazuki decided to help him until he could stand on his own. Nobody spoke, but everyone seemed to be recovering quite fast; since so many objects had fallen, they were tidying the room a little.

Segawa was the first one to break the silence. Everyone looked to his direction; although Luan couldn't understand what he said, he knew he was angered. _I'm not surprised. I've been expecting to see him snap at any moment._

"He said his job was ruined," Kazuki muttered after a moment. "He kept the computer a bit too close to the edge of the table. The impact might have broken it."

Segawa picked the laptop hurriedly, and placed it on the table again. Since Luan was right next to him, he could see clearly what happened. The screen was cracked, almost in half, making a pattern on the top-right corner that resembled a spider web. The director pressed the button to turn it on, and he sighed in relief when the screen was lit again.

The crack made it difficult —almost impossible— to see what was going on, but Segawa seemed to have no trouble with that.

"However, I believe that whatever he was doing before the earthquake is gone," Kazuki explained. "And I'm not sure for how long he's been working."

Then they heard a loud noise nearby. Once again everyone's attention shifted, and Segawa was muttering to himself, horrified. Luan had a bad feeling about it, and asked Kazuki to translate. However, Segawa was speaking so hurriedly, in such a hushed voice, that it was impossible for him to make out his words.

The director stood up and ran. From the direction he was going to, Luan thought he had an idea of what might've happened. He decided to follow him, trying to match his pace, though he was running fast. Before reaching the next room, Segawa yowled in agony, confirming Luan's fears.

Considering he was a hacker, he thought that his most precious object would be a computer. And the most precious computer they had was the supercomputer that had been resting downstairs.

Now, it was broken, with sparks flashing now and then. Segawa was still yelling, speaking to himself and picking up the broken pieces that had fallen to the floor.

"This is unnatural," Luan then said to Kazuki, who had been following them.

"What is?"

"The way it's broken." Luan pointed with his finger at the broken part of the supercomputer. There was an opening right in the middle. "That couldn't be caused by the earthquake, especially since it hadn't fallen or anything."

"Then someone broke it?" Kazuki knew that was the most logical answer, but he couldn't believe that someone would sabotage their job; especially knowing it was for their own good, too. Then again, the worm was also causing unnatural reactions in people. Maybe someone, in pure fear, decided to take an insane course of action.

"But that someone isn't here," Luan continued, placing a finger on his forehead. "Whoever it was, they ran away."

"I don't think Segawa cares about that right now."

He continued yelling, while carrying a bunch of broken pieces on his arms. As he tried to place them on the table, a few had fallen again on the floor. Then he tried to connect a few wires that had split on the middle, but his hand retreated suddenly, after feeling the electric shock. Such a huge contraption would need time before any human hand could touch it again.

"He says he's going to kill the culprit," Kazuki muttered. "Even if said culprit was Mother Nature."

Segawa suddenly turned around, his right hand placed firmly on his wrist, his face contorted in pain. His fury was directed to the newcomers.

"He blames us for his computer's death."

"His computer's _death_?" Luan echoed, astonished. "I don't remember anyone telling us that thing was alive."

"He probably loved it so much he pretended it was."

"I want you to leave right now!" Segawa spoke in clear English. For a second, both Kazuki and Luan seemed surprised. He had been speaking in Japanese the whole day, making them think that was the only language he could speak, at least fluently. "Of course I speak English, you morons!" the director continued, as if he could read their thoughts. "I'm a genius, you need to learn English if you want to hack properly! I can't afford a single mistake, and yet you come here and this happens!"

"It wasn't our fault," Luan replied, trying to be the calm party. But he was feeling his patience running out with each word. "We were with you all the time, remember?"

Segawa then called Yakumo's name and gave an order in Japanese. He then turned to the doctor and his translator, with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry that I can't disobey orders. I'll lead you to a different room and try to convince him to be a little bit more cooperative."

Both Kazuki and Luan thanked him; although the latter was boiling in rage, he knew it wasn't fair for the others if he complained out loud to them. After all, they were innocent in the whole incident.

There was a room with many bunk beds perfectly lined against the walls. All of them were surprisingly clean, but the stench of death hung on the room like a pendulum, refusing to leave. Luan believed that there had been way too many people who died peacefully in their sleep. _But it wasn't their time to die,_ he thought regretfully. He imagined that, with that smell on the air, everyone went to sleep in fear they might not wake up again.

"I apologize for the smell; we barely had time to clean this room properly. Rest here, I will come back with Mr. Segawa's next instructions."

Kazuki thanked him for his help, and Yakumo left, closing the door behind him.

Glancing around, Luan noticed that there were more people sleeping. _Or dead._ He shook his head to throw that thought again. There was one at the end of the bedroom, and another person on one of the top beds. On closer inspection, Luan noticed that she was Sumie, the cheerful schoolgirl that was used for testing. She seemed to be sleeping at first, but when she opened one eye to look at them, he realized that she was actually paying close attention to them.

Luan approached her, remembering she could speak English. Kazuki followed, just in case he was needed.

"What do you want? I need to sleep," she said warily, faking a yawn. Kazuki translated, since she was talking in her first language.

"I just want to talk. You can talk to me without the need of a translator, can you?" Luan asked in the softest voice his vocal chords would allow.

"Yes, I can. What do you want?" she repeated, this time in English.

Luan wasn't sure what to say, so he stood for a few moments waiting in silence. Kazuki stepped forward instead.

"Is that person—" he began, but he was cut off abruptly by Sumie's harsh voice.

"He's dead."

"What were they doing back there?" Luan asked, thankful for the short moments he had to think. "You weren't having a good time then, were you?"

"Of course not!" Sumie snapped, but then her voice saddened. "I hate it, but if I want to be cured, I have to do it." She sighed before continuing, though Luan could see that she was suppressing a sniffle. "They were inspecting my body, seeing how the worm would react to different drugs."

"So, they treat you like a lab rat?" Kazuki asked tactlessly. However, Sumie didn't seem to care.

"A bit. They aren't using new drugs, just the ones you'd use when you have a headache or something like that."

"Any progresses so far?" Luan continued. Sume shook her head slightly, not caring about moving from her bed.

"I don't know. Ask the doctors, but I think they haven't found anything new." She sighed again and continued in a lower voice, with her eyes closed. "And now, without the supercomputer, they won't be making progress at all."

For a second, Luan believed he saw something in her expression. A tiny smile, a tone of happiness in her voice, a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes as soon as she opened them. Kazuki continued to interrogate her, but Luan was barely paying attention.

"At least they won't test on you for a while," Kazuki said. Luan took that opportunity to further see her reactions.

Once again, she seemed to smile. Her smile was genuine, but she wanted to make it look faked and forced. She rubbed her eyes as if she was crying.

"Kazuki?" Luan whispered, but his translator nodded, apparently having the same thoughts in mind.

"We shouldn't question her about that. Whatever she did, I'll have to believe it was the worm's fault."

The doctor believed he was right, but there were still many questions roaming on his head. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep well that night if those questions weren't answered.

"We can get to an agreement. Hey, miss… Kamura, was it?" Kazuki wanted to stop him from talking, but there was nothing he could do now. He decided to watch from a distance, so he sat down on a bed and waited.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Have you been here when the earthquake happened?"

"Yes," Sumie answered immediately. "I was afraid something might happen, so I stood here and hid under my blanket, and I've been here since."

_That's what I wanted to hear,_ Luan thought in triumph. "If that's the case, how do you know what happened to the supercomputer?"

"I heard a loud noise and Segawa yelling," she responded confidently. Luan clicked his tongue, not expecting she would have a response.

"Are you happy that it's broken?"

"Of course not. It means that the cure might not be ready in time," the girl said in a mild voice.

"You don't sound as afraid as a normal person would be under the same circumstances," Luan retorted, staring at her sternly. "I believe that you're actually quite happy that all of this happened."

"What are you saying?!" Sumie snapped as she jumped down from her bed, raising her head to stare at Luan in the eyes, as challenging as she could.

"I don't want to make rushed assumptions, but so far, you are my main suspect. Did you break the computer, hoping to avoid any more tests?"

"You don't know how it feels!" Sumie yelled, and Luan had to walk a few steps back to avoid the worst of her rage. "Being there all day, doing nothing while a bunch of people experiment on you!"

"Was your plan to do it in the middle of an earthquake?" Luan wondered out loud.

"I got scared, and I saw that thing right in front of me! It was the perfect opportunity!"

"It's the worm," Kazuki said suddenly, in Portuguese so Sumie wouldn't understand. "Under a stressful situation like that, the host seems to lose control of his emotions. I believe the same happened to Mr. Segawa."

_That makes sense_, Luan agreed._ If the earthquake never happened, the computer would probably be intact. It's like Earth itself wants us to fail._

"There would still be other reasons for her to destroy it," Kazuki continued, as if he could read Luan's thoughts.

"Why don't you let everyone die already?" Sumie said, irritated that the two visitors were ignoring her. Her tone changed drastically to a serious one, the features of her face were contracted, like in pain. "You doctors always try to save people, especially when they can't be saved. It's your stupid pride that gets in the way."

"Whose way?" Luan asked, shooting a sideways glance towards her. Sumie didn't even flinch under his intimidating glare.

"The worm's way. Neuren's way. They are about to create a perfect world; everything they need to do is eliminate humans, and the planet becomes a better place."

_She's been completely brainwashed,_ Luan thought, bewildered. _At least I hope it's not her who's pronouncing those words._

"Calm down, Sumie," Kazuki warned in a gentle voice. Luan now couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but he trusted his translator to solve this problem. "You are being manipulated by the worm. I'm sure you—"

"It's always the worm this, the worm that," Sumie interrupted, keeping a constant tone of voice. "Don't you think that it could be me the person who's speaking? Couldn't it be Kamura Sumie who's telling you this right now, and not the creature inside my head?"

Kazuki thought about it for a few seconds. It was possible, indeed—but until the worm was removed from her brain, there was no way to know whether she actually meant what she said or not. He decided to quickly translate his conversation to his client, who sighed in return.

"Isn't it a bit selfish, though?" Luan crossed his arms and looked at Sumie in the eyes, standing up so they could be at the same level. "What about those people who are still alive and want to continue living?"

"What about them?" she replied, innocently. "If anything, they are the selfish ones. Neuren said it himself, the world would be better if it didn't have us contaminating every single portion of this planet."

Luan glared at her for a few seconds, but then sighed and turned around.

Kazuki gave a reverence to the girl before following him.

On the supercomputer room, Segawa was crouching, still grieving for the loss of (what he liked to call) his creation. However, he seemed to be fixing it at an incredibly high speed, with the help of other technicians.

Segawa turned around and stared at the two visitors; then his gaze traveled to rest on a single man, Yakumo. He returned an apologetic look.

Segawa stood up from his place, and walked swiftly to the visitors. Without warning, he grabbed Luan by the collar of his shirt, yelling something in Japanese. The doctor was caught off-guard, not knowing what to do, while everyone else stared in silence. He felt a fist on the side of his head that made him stagger and fall.

The director continued yelling at them while pointing to the main door. Luan stood up and began walking towards it, waiting for Kazuki who was still paralyzed. When he called to him, he seemed to regain his conscience.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he said with a reverence, giving Yakumo a glance. He nodded in return, and Kazuki turned around to follow his client.

* * *

Kazuki shook his head. Remembering how his home country had changed over the course of a few years was painful, but he knew he had to work hard to return everything to normal. He wondered for a few moments what happened to the supercomputer and to Sumie; after all, they couldn't warn Segawa about it.

He felt something poking him on the leg. Looking down, he saw it was Angerdlarnek, Malik's granddaughter. She was holding a panda bear plush. Kazuki felt a wave of nostalgia, since he remembered having one just like that.

"Hey, missy. Do you like bears?"

"Yes," she replied in a timid, but cheerful voice. "This is a panda. Granddad says they are in Japan."

Kazuki chuckled at the girl's comment. He crouched to stay at her same level, and smiled gently.

"Well, do you know something? I come from there."

"Really?" She gasped dramatically, her eyes wide open. "Did you see pandas?"

"No, but I'd like to." He thought for a few seconds before adding: "Hey, when everyone is cured, do you want to see them with me? I can ask your grandfather."

The girl's eyes shone in delight, and she nodded enthusiastically. _Her English is better than I expected. She understands almost everything,_ Kazuki thought in surprise.

"Okay, now I have to talk to the big guys," he said, trying to stand up. But Angerdlarnek grabbed him by his shirt, preventing him from doing so.

"I'm bored and I can't sleep. I'm scared of the worm," she announced, her voice beginning to shake.

Kazuki sighed slightly. Even if he liked talking to kids, he had things to do. Yet he could understand the girl's fear; it wasn't something so simple like monsters hiding under her bed. It was a lethal disease that could kill her while she slept. He couldn't know whether she understood that, as soon as she went to sleep, there was a slight chance that she wouldn't wake up. He shuddered, remembering his visit to Japan._ There was a dead body on the bed…_

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked, giving up.

"Uhm…" She was thought for a few seconds, but couldn't think of anything. After all, in the lab there was nothing really interesting for her to play with.

"Oh, can you tell me your name again?" Kazuki thought idle conversation was the way to go.

"Angerdlarnek Inaluk. What is yours?"

"Akio Kazuki," he introduced himself again. "Well… can I give you a nickname? Your name is a bit long for a dumb dude like me to remember." She giggled and nodded, hugging her bear. "So I'll call you Angel. Is that okay?"

The girl was delighted, noticeable from her expression. She then said something to the bear she was holding. Since it was in her first language, Kazuki couldn't understand what she said, but at least she looked happy. _The worm made me hate this little kid before,_ he thought guiltily.

"Why you have to talk to the big people?" Angel asked suddenly.

Kazuki just shrugged. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"Is it something with the worm? Because I know stuff!"

That phrase piqued Kazuki's interest. He sat down in a more comfortable position, making sure nobody was nearby, and looked at the girl.

"Really? What do you know?"

"I know it's yellow, and bad, and that it's a disease and you are working to stop it, I also know that a bad person made it because he doesn't like people, and…"

"I know all that—"

"And that there were others in the glaciers." As soon as she said that, she placed both hands on her mouth, dropping the bear in the process. She quickly picked it up and looked at Kazuki, afraid.

"Was that a secret?" he wondered out loud. _Was it _the _secret they're keeping away from us?_

"I'm sorry, don't tell granddad! He said that bad people break promises."

"Don't worry, I won't tell. And you're helping me, so thank you." Kazuki looked around, relieved to see that no one noticed that the little girl spat a meaningful secret. He continued in a whisper: "Can you tell me something else?"

Angel was doubtful, but since she already said too much, she decided that it would be wrong not to continue.

"They think the worm came from the glaciers of here. They found other worms, but they think that there are a lot more of worms in the ice."

"So they think this country is where the disease originated."

"Origi… ornated…" she muttered to herself. Sometimes, she found herself struggling to say a particular word she learned.

"Don't worry about it," Kazuki interrupted, hurriedly. "Anything else?"

"They said the worms they found are dead. Origined…"

"Dead?" Kazuki whispered to himself. He thought, for a second, that ice was probably one of the few things that could kill PAX-12 for good, but then wondered about how only one had survived. If the data they collected so far was true, then the worm had been on Earth millions of years before man touched the ground.

A few hours passed before Luan and Malik left the room. Luan looked tired, while the director had a friendly smile that was directed instantly at Angel and Kazuki. The latter patted the girl on the shoulder—she had fallen asleep after playing with her bear. She blinked sleepily and walked towards her grandfather, who picked her up and began talking to her.

Luan walked to his translator, giving him a questioning look.

"What?" Kazuki asked, standing up. His limbs were stiff, but at least he could walk.

"We're leaving, now," Luan announced, staring at Kazuki. "We have to return and report to the others as quick as possible."

"Something happened? What did he tell you?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, but…" He paused for some moments. "We're running out of time, Kazuki. Even the people from this country are dying."

Kazuki nodded in understanding. He then walked over to the girl and Malik.

"Goodbye, Angel. Remember, we'll see the pandas someday, so stay safe until then, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, yawning.

"Say bye to your grandfather for me." Kazuki turned around, ready to leave, but he saw that Luan was going in the opposite direction from the door. He then spotted a blonde man, and remembered him.

"So you're done here?" Hagen asked them when they were together, and Luan nodded.

"What is that place that you wanted to show us?" the doctor asked, his voice barely hinting his impatience.

"Easy there. Just follow me, and you'll see."

* * *

**Wooo, what a break. I can't remember the last time I updated this story, but honestly, most of the time I've been quite lazy to continue. The rest of the time I actually was busy, and at some point I lost a few things that I had written already.**

**But at least I'm still alive and I hope to continue this. I'm not sure how far away I am from the ending, but at least I can say that it's more than half done. Maybe one third done.**

**About the chapter, I didn't actually think it would be so long (8023 words if I'm not mistaken). Hopefully there won't be any mistakes. Hopefully. And yes, I know, this needs more worm, but I didn't want to make this one longer.**


	31. Course of Action

"Please, call me Hagen," the man said, looking back at his companions. "I'm sick of the formalities here."

"Alright, Mr—I mean, Hagen," Luan replied, sighing. His lungs filled with cold air, and for a second he thought his insides would freeze. "Why do you have to take us all the way to that place, walking, in the middle of a snowstorm, right after we've decided to leave?" He and Kazuki were following, keeping a distance. Their feet sank in the snow, almost reaching their knees. The worst of the storm was over, but Luan still wasn't used to the harshness of it.

"Scared of a couple of snowflakes?" Hagen chuckled. "You should've been at my place in winter. You wouldn't be complaining then!"

"Well, he's not wrong," Kazuki put in, adjusting his coat. "Back home, I couldn't see a snowstorm like the one we saw before, but this is just a normal winter day for me."

"Ugh," the doctor muttered, unable to say any more. He just followed in silence, shivering. _I'd like to see you spend one summer in my place_, he thought, picturing both men panting like dogs. He snorted in satisfaction.

Still lost in thought, he didn't notice when Hagen had stopped in front of him and was explaining something.

"Really? Whoa," Kazuki was saying, mystified. "I didn't know that. This place has quite the history."

_What history? _Luan wondered, but before he could ask, Hagen began talking.

"I know, right? That's the biggest mystery in this country. But that story aside... look at this building."

Luan clicked his tongue in frustration. Now both of them knew something he didn't, and they talked about it as if it was the most amazing thing they've heard in their lives.

Then he noticed the building in front of him. It was made of wood, and despite how old it was, it seemed sturdy enough to survive a few natural disasters.

In front of the building in question lay a platform, covered in snow. Hagen began walking on it, leaving his footprints behind. They revealed the surface underneath, so the visitors decided to step ahead, knowing it was safe to walk there.

It was impossible to know how wide or large the platform was, but Luan believed it couldn't be too big. The building looked like a house where someone used to live a long time ago, and the platform probably was something to keep a few plants and vegetables to grow.

_Wait, nothing could grow in this weather._ He thought about it again and believed the family probably had a dog. Maybe a group of huskies for transportation. _Yes, that's more likely._

Hagen was already walking somewhere else, going to the other side of the house. He was setting into the snow again. Luan sighed, upset that he wouldn't be able to enjoy walking on a firm floor for once.

"Come on, it's just a little snow!" Hagen encouraged from ahead. "If I can do it, you can!"

"I'm sorry; I'm not used to walking through avalanches!" Luan replied indignantly. Hagen didn't reply, but his eyes had a glimmer of amusement.

Snow was falling again, lightly. They hurried ahead, knowing it wouldn't be long until that snowfall became a snowstorm.

Among the white expanse, there was a place where the snow piled up, as if something was growing underneath.

Hagen stopped, gasping. Luan fell on his knees and stood there trying to recover his breath.

"There's no way I'll walk all the way back. Give me my own private plane, please."

"Well, your plane isn't going anywhere tonight. Look," he said, pointing to the pile of snow ahead. He walked towards it, Kazuki following close behind with ease. _Isn't he tired? At all?_

They both began to remove the snow. Even if Kazuki was wearing thick gloves, his hands were feeling cold and numb. But curiosity made him continue, Hagen's words ringing in his mind.

Luan sighed. _This is my most sigh-full day ever._ His hands were concealed under his coat, his whole body shivering and unable to move. Hopefully, the worm would be unable to do anything to him if his brain froze.

Lost in thought, he never realized that his companions had taken away part of that pile of snow to reveal a huge, rusty plane underneath. Luan gazed at it, and in confusion he tried to recall if their route looked like an airport or something.

"Okay, that's enough," Hagen said, suddenly somber. "This plane hasn't tasted the air in years. I'm amazed it didn't crumble yet."

"What is it doing here?" Luan asked, walking over to the two men.

"It's a long story. Let's go inside; I don't think you could stand the cold much longer."

* * *

There was a small cabin just behind the pile of snow—the plane—that Luan couldn't see before. Now he and Kazuki were drinking hot chocolate that Hagen had prepared just before they left. The tea flask managed to keep it steaming until they arrived to their destination.

"This will keep you warm until we have to go back," he had said before sitting down on a chair, facing both men.

"Spit it out," Luan demanded. His beverage managed to stop him from shivering; since the cabin was abandoned, it was only a bit warmer than the world outside, but not as much as he wanted. "What is that plane doing here?"

Hagen sighed at Luan's aggressive tone, now feeling tired after their trek through the snow.

"The others don't know about it," he began, "as this area is unexplored by them. In fact, I came into this country with that plane."

"Who is the pilot?" Kazuki interrupted. "And where is he?"

"He was an old man, or maybe he was younger than he looked. I can't remember how I met him, but he was kind and had a passion for flying. He took people all around the world and back with this plane, and the price was quite cheap."

Luan was thoughtful for many moments. He thought only boats arrived to Greenland, not planes. It would make sense if his business was clandestine, though that made him wonder who would be crazy enough to take a flight in a plane that no one knows if it's been properly maintained through the years.

Then another worse thought flashed on his mind, heating his blood in rage.

"Trojan planes." Both men turned their heads on his direction, interrupting their chatter. "I'm sure I remember. This country decided to prevent more people from coming, and by then they were the only uninfected country. But then, we've seen people randomly deciding they wanted to visit a different country. It was the worm's plan."

"The worm's plan?" Hagen repeated. "You make it sound as if the worm is an extremely smart being with Einstein's brain."

"And who says it isn't?" the doctor replied. "Have you even seen what PAX-12 can do? Upon reaching a certain place, people would act aggressively towards innocent people. This caused many accidents, and some deaths." He paused to stare at Hagen, his horrified expression showing understanding. "The worm decided to spread here, so it decided to control its host, forcing them to travel here via those planes. And that man is responsible of it."

"No way!" Hagen exclaimed, clearly offended. "That guy was the nicest person I ever met. I won't let you insult his grave!"

"It's reasonable to believe that he was the one who brought an infected host into this country, who later began infecting other people as well. But," he added before Hagen could speak, "that's not important right now. Now I know both Neuren and the worm are smarter than we thought. We should've tackled this issue earlier."

"When did he pass away?" Kazuki asked tactfully. He knew that, if Hagen wasn't properly calmed down, his anger would consume him until he lost sense of reality.

"Right after we arrived. Since then I have been unable to leave." His fists were clenched; clearly he was annoyed as well. "That damned worm. I don't care if people die, as long as that thing dies with them."

Luan and Kazuki exchanged a glance. Now Hagen was speaking in his mother tongue, both men unable to understand whatever he was saying.

He stood up and opened the tea flask, steam coming out of it. For a moment Luan thought he just wanted some of the chocolate that was inside, but with a scream, he threw it all over Kazuki's face.

Luan stood up at once, afraid and confused, as his translator covered his face with both hands and yowled with pain as he fell to the floor.

"What was that for?!" he confronted Hagen, who stood motionless, the flask still steaming, dripping the liquid. Luan ran up to Kazuki, helping him stand up, and guiding him to the door.

The cold made him shiver once more. He made Kazuki take his hands away from his face and cover it with snow. _I can't treat a burn here!_ Luan thought, wondering what to do. The worm was taking control of his emotions, probably having a feast at the overflow of them. Luan tried to calm down, but he was unable to think clearly.

Hagen was behind him, horrified, and yelling something in his own language. _At least he can't throw that thing at me._ He believed the right course of action right now was to take Kazuki to the facility where the others were researching the worm. He hoped the burn wasn't severe, and didn't weaken his ability to fight the worm inside his skull.

"Help now, cry later." Luan stared at Hagen, who nodded in return and carried Kazuki by his left arm.

* * *

"Should I be worried?" Neuren asked his pet worm as he surfed through the Internet, trying to find some new information without success. "If I don't know what's happening, I don't know when to act."

The worm wriggled slowly and fell still. It was growing bigger and fatter every day. _That must be a good sign,_ Neuren believed, although he barely knew anything about it. The worm so far has been nothing like the other small creatures he examined, but curiosity always drove him forward. _I wonder how far we can go before humans try to kill you._

"Yeah, I know, but do you think it's truly accurate?" Neuren examined one corner of his screen, where it showed the cure progress. It was relatively high, enough to make him feel uncomfortable. It was a race against time now, but he was confident in the worm's traits to kill swiftly and unnoticed.

Just hours ago he wasted all his points on a different symptom: Brain Hemorrhage. Neuren believed that could kill people faster than all the other symptoms so far, but he knew it would take a while before it took effect.

"What?" he said suddenly, turning his head to face the worm. "Yes okay, I'm sorry I didn't make humans your slaves, but you have to remember that you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me." He waited a few seconds for the worm to reply before he continued. "You're right, I owe you one, and that's why everyone is infected with your children right now. Wouldn't that be enough to satisfy you?" He waited again, and then he turned his attention to the computer. "And how do you know humans wouldn't work on the cure before, hmm? As far as I'm concerned, they could finish it before you even knew that a symptom called _Transcendence _existed."

As the worm replied to his last comment, he examined the chain of symptoms that lead to Transcendence, examining their effects closely. With each one came a decrease in the severity level, which most likely could cause a delay in the cure.

"Oh," he muttered suddenly. "I guess you're right." He thought for some moments before he replied to the worm. "But still. I didn't want people to become _your_ slaves. How do I know you wouldn't betray me in the end and make me a slave as well?"

It would be a few more hours, or even days, until he got enough points to develop something else. Neuren began shifting through the screens, wondering what could be the best course of action from now on. His head turned suddenly to the worm, and then to his screen again. He examined it closely before he spoke again.

"Oh, I remember this. And yes, you're right, it could be useful." His cursor loomed over the Reshuffle option. If he used that, the cure progress would decrease. Doctors and researchers would be seeing an entirely different worm, damaging everything they've done so far.

It was worrying how well the cure research was going. Though nothing has been done, people were getting a better understanding of the worm's biology.

He leaned on his chair, staring at the ceiling. Everything was more lively and fun when people were alive, running for their lives and screaming in terror. Now the world was silent, food wasn't being produced anymore, others had to live by stealing supplies from people who've died, and every day on Neuren's life consisted of him eating something as soon as he woke up and surviving with that through the whole day. Then he would just stare at the computer and occasionally talk to the worm, now his only living companion.

Memories of the girl he murdered made him wince. Still he refused to believe it was his fault, but he decided to throw the body away so it wouldn't decay on his house. The apartment was small enough, now he had one room less. He didn't dare enter that room where worms could be living. _I can't risk an infection. Not after coming so far._

Even if he didn't want to admit it, a lonely world made his blood freeze in fear. He was already seeing part of it, and that wasn't something he desired for the future.

_But I do want it._ The world full of humans was annoying, irritating and just as lonely. This empty world was less noisy and less contaminated. His eyes shone with determination, reassuring him that he would finish what he was meant to do.

He blinked, holding back tears threatening to come out.

* * *

Derek sat down on a chair, his mood lifted for the first time in many days. Just today, Luan had returned from his long travels across the world, bringing many interesting new facts about the worm and the cure that other countries were developing. Combining everything in one place meant they had a strong chance of creating a cure to PAX-12 before the human race was extinguished.

"But what happened to you, Kazuki?" he asked as soon as they arrived. Neither said anything about it.

"A little accident," Luan replied evading the question. "He will be okay. What happened while we were away?"

Without trying to hide his grief, Derek began naming the amount of people who have died from the time they left until the moment they arrived. Many of them had become great friends and valuable people. _If people are gems, they were diamonds,_ he thought lowering his head.

"There's no point in grieving right now," Luan said coldly. "We have to move now so no more die."

Derek thought he was being cruel, but at the same time he understood the truth in his words. They were doctors, and as such, they couldn't let their emotions cloud their judgment. Some people were still alive, even if they couldn't see them right now.

He turned around, walking over to the main room were the others were waiting.

"I'm glad to see you're both okay," Derek muttered to Luan. Even if Kazuki had been injured, both men understood that they could be even worse. _I'm glad you made it here alive._

"Me too," Luan admitted. "I'm tired of leaving a bad country just to see that the next is even worse. And the fact that we have many things to share makes it even better."

Bellerose was speaking, distracting Derek from his thoughts. She, with a few other people, were testing different drugs, hoping one of them would work against the worm without killing the host in the process.

"We have to be quick," Luan said suddenly, looking at the other people working. "If the drug causes any kind of problem, but manages to kill the worm, we'll have to be risky and prioritize lives over discomfort."

"That's not very professional," Derek replied, though he nodded in agreement. "But you're right. Even if the cure causes a different disease in the future, I doubt it will be as bad as PAX-12."

"Then we would have to work on the cure for the cure?" the Brazilian doctor thought out loud, shaking his head. "This is insane."

"Do you believe we'll make it in time?" Nora, sitting next to them and overhearing the whole conversation, asked. "How can we cure people in other countries?"

"Luan, did they have people travelling as well?" Derek asked.

"Yes, though I never met them," he replied, nodding. "I bet we all left at the same time, as we agreed long time ago."

_Really?_ Derek thought to himself. _I didn't know you all agreed to that. Maybe Smith knew._

"We'll have to communicate with the directors of the countries you've been into."

"And quarantine healthy people," Luan suggested.

"And quaran… huh?" Both Derek and Nora stared at him, their eyes widening.

"It's not a bad idea," he said defensively. "By quarantining healthy people, we can make sure that the worm is completely extinguished before it has a chance of infecting more people."

"Do you think this place is big enough to hold that many people until that time?" Nora retorted, aggression showing in his voice.

"You're quite optimistic, Dr. Nora," Luan replied back, without losing composure, "if you truly believe there are more than a hundred people alive on each country."

Derek and Nora gasped in horror, unable to believe what the doctor was saying. Many countries had a population of over a thousand, or a million. Derek knew some countries had been wiped off, but he didn't even want to think how close the others of facing the same fate were.

Luan sighed, his expression relaxing.

"At least that's what I believe. Many countries are deserted, and I really want to be as optimistic as you, Dr. Nora. I only hope a miracle happens and I'm wrong."

* * *

**Oh look, another transition chapter (maybe?). Thank you all for your comments by the way, I really appreciate them and I'm happy that I'm getting just a little bit of attention.**

**Now as for the story, I'm thinking that the next chapters might be a bit... long. What a ride this fanfic is for me.**


	32. Either a Miracle or a Curse

Tirelessly, day after day, without even stopping to rest, the group of doctors worked on the cure, testing substances white rats, and praying that one of them would work. They had infected each one of the little creatures, and now even they were dying, while others entered in a deep coma.

Meanwhile, Derek tried everything to keep him and the others alive. He wished he could share the treatment they developed with the rest of the world, but it was impossible. At least they didn't have to worry about the cost, but he wasn't feeling lucky at all.

Luan was resting nearby, on a couch that he dragged across the room so he could stay close to the main table. Unnecessary, as he was already snoring.

Kazuki, on the other hand, had to stay awake for a long time. The other translators were in coma, and rested calmly in the same room as Caroline. Constant treatment and supervision was enough to keep them alive, but it wouldn't work forever. There would be a time when the drugs would run out, and even if this wasn't the case, there weren't any farms now. They would have to survive by eating semi-dead rats for many years, always knowing they were the last humans on planet Earth.

Derek shivered. Being inside the building for so long, he almost forgot what the outside world was like. The days when he could take a walk on the street and see his patients leave with a smile seemed like so far ago. Now he tried to imagine what the planet would look like after he was gone. Maybe animals would reclaim their place, and the cities would become jungles and forests. Or maybe, the Neurax could find a way to infect animals, thus killing them as well.

Everyone was silent, their heads falling, waiting until Bellerose's group finished their own research.

"There's something we haven't tested yet," she had said. "It's a very strong drug, but I want to make it suitable for human beings."

A few hours have passed. Bellerose found herself looking at a bunch of people sleeping by the table. She slammed her hand on it, the sound echoing all around the room. Many woke up instantly, looking wildly around alarmed. Others, including Derek, woke up more slowly. It took him many moments to realize where he was.

"All of you should get a rat and inject them with this." She pointed to a group of tubes of different colors, giving syringes to everyone.

Luan slowly got up from the couch and walked to the table, sitting next to Nora. The man was still sleeping, so he shook him, trying to wake him up.

"This is the strongest drug we have. If it can kill the worm before killing the rat, then we have a head start," Bellerose explained, her strong voice ringing across the room.

_Previous attempts have failed,_ Derek remembered. _We can only hope now…_ Most drugs they tested on rats were too weak for humans, or lethal for other animals. The drug Bellerose's team developed was their last attempt. If it were to fail, he knew the others would give up immediately.

"Thompson?" Luan spoke timidly. Derek turned quickly in his direction; it was unprecedented for the calm doctor to sound so fearful. "Nora's body… it's cold."

By this point nobody was surprised. In the time when Luan was abroad, they had witnessed death after death, and while it was saddening, they had to understand it was inevitable.

"Let's continue," Derek said, sighing. Luan stared at him in shock, waiting for someone to mention that Nora's corpse should be moved. But everyone set to work, without paying attention to him.

Bellerose gave a different substance to each person. Testing them at the same time helped them to make progress faster, so they could all get a few hours of sleep. That was the biggest prize then.

Most rats quickly died after the drug was injected on them. A few had internal hemorrhage, others spit too much blood. In most cases, their body temperature rose by a lot, causing them a heat stroke. Others vomited, as if they just swallowed poison, and others were allergic to it.

A few people stood up and started to take away the dead rats. After a while they also decided to take away Nora's body. Luan flinched, but didn't take his eyes from the syringe as he applied the cure to the white animal.

Half an hour later, only a few rats remained on the table. They were still breathing, but none of them woke up. The substances had run out by now, although Bellerose had a list of the components of each one, and was studying how each one was reacting in the rats' bodies.

Derek was in charge of checking if there have been any changes in their system, but most of them didn't have any effect whatsoever.

Luan gasped slowly, muttering to himself. Kazuki stared at him in curiosity.

"What's happening?"

"It's twitching," he mumbled, stroking the creature's fur with a finger.

Derek gazed to his direction, believing Luan was having hallucinations. But he was surprised when he saw the rat, slowly opening its red eyes, standing up and washing its body with its small front paws.

The doctors stared at each other in wonder. Unlike other rats, this one was standing up and living as if nothing had ever happened. Luan especially was awestruck, staring as if he had never seen a creature so lively before. He grabbed it with both hands, and the rat buried its nose to them.

"I guess you have a new friend," Kazuki said with a faint smile.

Derek quickly regained composure.

"Kazuki, you can talk to the directors of other countries. Please do so," he ordered. Kazuki inclined his body in return. "Bellerose, help him. Give him the components of the drug you used on Luan's rat..."

"Neurax Rat."

"On the Neu... huh?" Derek stared at Luan after his interruption. He was still stroking the rat's head.

"Neurax Rat. Neuren isn't the only one who can name his pets."

"Okay. Just give them the components of the drugs you used on the Neurax Rat."

Bellerose nodded. The rest scattered to recreate the drug, so they could test it on other rats. However, they had to be quick. Even if it meant offering a cure too prematurely, it was better than the world dying.

"This could be a breakthrough on our research," Luan told Derek, still not looking at him. "Do you realize that this time, we either win or fail?"

Derek was silent. He didn't want to think about it, that was only adding more pressure. _But he's right,_ he told himself. Though it was better to keep silent about it, and make sure the others believed there were other possibilities yet.

"The others know," Luan continued. "They aren't stupid. They're smart. That's why they're here, after all."

"You don't need to remind them," Derek muttered. "It was hope what brought us this far. We can't give it up now."

Luan sighed, getting a small cage from under the table and letting the rat walk inside it.

"We are making progress, and yet… I can't feel happy." He gave the rat something to eat, gazing at it fondly. "But if humanity survives, it's all thanks to you," Luan whispered, then chuckled bitterly. "Didn't we evolve from rats after all? If it weren't for them, who knows what would happen to us."

Derek stared at him worriedly. He couldn't know if the Brazilian doctor was entirely conscious or if he was finally succumbing to the effects of the worm.

"You must be thirsty… I'm getting you some water."

"Bring some for Neurax Rat as well," Luan replied absently, as he fed the white creature.

* * *

For days and nights, the doctors worked on testing the drug. First with hundreds of rats, then to dogs, cats, birds, any animal they had within the lab. Other counties did the same as well, making sure the drug worked as well on their fauna.

"I can't believe this is happening! They are so close, and this biological war against that ugly creature will finally end!"

Neuren was watching a video, the only one that was uploaded in many days. While others offered footage of life in other countries, this one had a young person talking to a low-quality camera.

"The other guy was better. The one who was with the girl…" He turned around and faced the worm. "Do you remember their names? John?" There was a short pause before Neuren spoke again. "I knew they had fairly short names, and they used to yell them as if saying _if you don't remember, we're making you remember anyway!"_ Another pause, though this time he looked fairly uncomfortable. "I'm… not good with jokes. This is all I got."

"Mr. Derek Thompson knew I was the only person making videos nowadays, so he quickly contacted me. Of course, he can't leave the building; he's working for the future of humanity, after all!" The boy in the video continued talking about his time in England, only to reveal later that he never left his room. "You thought I actually went there, by plane, when there are no planes around?"

"Please tell me my jokes are better than _this_," Neuren said pointing at the screen with his hand. He decided to fast forward until he could find the time when the guy actually talked about the cure and not about himself.

"So Derek Thompson told me that one of their rats woke from a coma, and from there on, they didn't stop not even to go to the bathroom! Impressive!"

Neuren sighed. _That information wasn't necessary._

"And it seems like what they're doing is working. It really is working! Most animals have reacted well to the drug, and they're pretty close to testing it on humans!" Neuren rested his chin on his hand, paying close attention. That detail had caught his interest. "Which is why they're offering free flights to those who desire to be a test subject, and frankly, we should all do it! If we're going to die anyway, let us go knowing we did our best. And if it truly works, then you know what it means. You will be free!"

"They're finally making progress, huh," Neuren said under his breath. He looked at the counter, seeing not many people were alive currently. The worm was quick enough to kill that amount of humans before the cure was ready… was it? His breathing fastened. He was approaching his goal, but then what? His destiny was to die from the illness he created, because if the rest of the world died, it would be impossible for him to survive.

He was surprised that the world kept rotating despite the sickness. People worked on farms growing food so others could live. They continued generating electricity and water, just so the doctors could work better and a few could have more chances to live. It was fascinating, his creation was supposed to divide the world, not helping them unite. But the human mind was more complex than he ever imagined.

"And I thought I was strange!" he exclaimed in surprise. He was the one locked in a cell inside a mental hospital of the worst quality. He should be the one that other people would have trouble understanding, while he should be able to understand everything. "I'm smart. I'm a genius. I'm not like those inferiors." _Or am I really that simple?_

Shivering, he shook his head. No, that was impossible. _I'm greater than everyone else…_

A new notification appeared on his browser. A new video from the guy he just watched.

"This is… a live broadcast," he noted, looking at the worm. "What is this about? Do you know anything?" The worm, of course, did not reply. "Hey… answer me! What is happening!?"

There was something wrong, his instinct was telling him. As people continued dying, the cure progressed. And this live broadcast was about that.

The guy was walking around with the camera, a smile on his face. His voice was shaky, he was having trouble speaking and his cheeks were soaked in tears. Yet he looked immensely happy.

"This is it, everyone… It's finished. The world is cured. The doctors injected some kind of strange substance on me, and I'm feeling… alive. I'm alive, I'm here, and I'm cured. Yes, they don't know which consequences this drug may have in the future, but does it matter?"

Neuren's blood froze. His eyes wide open, his eyelids refused to blink. A cold drop of sweat fell from his forehead, falling on his slightly open lips.

"Humanity lives on."

"ReShuffle!" Neuren yelled, minimizing the browser and getting his program. The cure was ready, but if the worm changed its DNA, then it could develop a resistance to it. Maybe it would give them more time and those who were cured would get infected eventually. Maybe he could evolve another symptom to kill the remaining humans a bit faster. Maybe… if only he had more DNA points to spend. He was getting some at an acceptable speed, but it wasn't enough. He had to act now.

He gave an anguished scream that lasted for about a minute. But to him, it was an eternity. His vocal chords were tired, so his voice sounded more broken when he spoke again.

"I need something… anything… a miracle…"

* * *

"Caroline…" Sharon whispered, seeing her friend's hand twitching. After many successful attempts, they decided to test the cure on Patient Zero. If it worked on her, it could work on anyone. At least that's what Sharon believed, and that gave her more strength to think about her friend's recovery.

The girl slowly opened her eyes, blinking many times. Bellerose was next to her bed, checking her pulse, with a lantern on her hand.

"She seems to be responding well," the woman announced. "We'll give her a few hours to recover. I'll need you to stay with her, Sharon. She might be confused."

Sharon nodded eagerly. Caroline's eyes met hers, and she spoke, her voice muffled through the ventilator.

"Where am I? What happened?"

Sharon made an effort to hold back tears. This wasn't the time for emotions, even if she wished it was. She was the one who was supposed to help Caroline understand the whole situation, and offer her support whenever it was needed. If she looked weak, it meant she wasn't up to the task.

"Caroline, a lot happened. Are you ready to hear about it, or do you want to wait?" Caroline tried to sit on the bed, but she was too weak to move. Instead, she moved her head with a nod.

"Tell me now."

Sharon sighed, knowing she should give her the good news first.

"The cure is ready. Dr. Thompson and the others made it." She saw her friend smiling brightly. She was slowly starting to live again. But her expression was somber in an instant.

"I've been asleep for a long time, haven't I?" Sharon nodded, without replying. "I noticed. You guys look more tired, and this place is a mess…"

"I'm leaving you two alone now," Bellerose said suddenly. Sharon had forgotten she was nearby. "Something is happening," she said to the girl's ear. "Don't let Caroline worry about it."

Bellerose left the room and went into one of the labs. She could see clearly that some people from her team were distressed, as if they didn't know how to progress anymore. _I clearly remember telling them exactly what to do!_

One of them gave a sigh of relief when she stepped from the door. He walked quickly towards her, a panicked expression on his old face.

"The worm changed… again…" he reported, panting. Bellerose's eyes widened, demanding an explanation. "You remember the worm used to modify its DNA, thus making our drugs useless? It did it again. The cure has an effect on it, but…"

"Less worrying, more working," she ordered with a strong voice. "And bring Dr. Thompson! Where is he?"

"Here." Derek appeared from inner into the lab, his expression told her that he already knew everything. "I want every person that has been cured to be quarantined. Immediately."

A few people scattered. They looked healthier than the others, so they were going to quarantine themselves as well.

"That was a smart move," Bellerose commented. "But what are we going to do now?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"As you said, less worrying, more working." He returned to the lab, giving her a smile over his shoulder. "We can't fail now, Bellerose. Not now."

* * *

**Pretty much something that happened on my game. When the cure research was done, I evolved a last ReShuffle, so it gave me just a bit more of time. I always thought it would be interesting to add it on my story so… here it is.**

**This one was quite short, considering the last chapters. Anyways, I have my ending planned, but I also have a few more. Just another way I would've liked the story to end. And yes, this kind of relates to that review about how Neuren isn't infected (shout out to Skid)… so yeah, I might write them all anyway.**


End file.
